WALES

Departmental Accountancy

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's  (a) chart of accounts and  (b) resource account codes and usage descriptions for the 2008-09 financial year.

Paul Murphy: My Department does not produce separate chart of accounts or resource accounts.
	As a small Department we use the financial accounting services of Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and adopt MOJ chart of accounts and resource account codes and usage.
	We do have an operating cost unit of 40 and business entity codes within the MOJ chart of accounts as tabled:
	
		
			  Business entity codes  
			 WA100 Wales Private Office 
			 WA105 Wales Policy Office 
			 WA110 Welsh Assembly 
			 WY100 GPC Management—Wales 
		
	
	MOJ will be placing copies in the Library.
	Wales Office accounts are included within the MOJ resource accounts under Request for Resources (RfR) 3.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on training courses for staff in the last  (a) 12 months and  (b) five years.

Paul Murphy: Information on spending by my Department is held by financial year. On training my Department spent £7,300 in 2007-08 and £55,800 in the last five years.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what training courses were  (a) available to and  (b) taken up by civil servants in his Department in the last 12 months.

Paul Murphy: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Wales Office staff can access a wide range of training courses and other learning opportunities. These are delivered in a number of ways, through both internal and external providers including the Welsh Assembly Government, Ministry of Justice and National School of Government.
	 (b) Some training courses are provided corporately, at no cost to the Wales Office, and need only be agreed locally with line managers, information on every course taken is not collated centrally, and so is not readily available.

Fairtrade Initiative

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2008,  Official Report, column 953W, on the Fair Trade initiative, how much his Department spent on refreshments for official departmental meetings and engagements in each of the last three financial years; and what percentage of this total was spent on Fair Trade products.

Paul Murphy: Financial information for my Office is not held in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Refreshments are ordered as part of office supplies in general and their cost is not identified separately.

Home Information Packs

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether any home information packs have been commissioned by his Department.

Paul Murphy: My Department has commissioned no home information packs.

Welsh Language

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the National Assembly for Wales on a legislative competence order for the Welsh language; what his policy is on the operation of the Welsh Language Act 1993; what representations he has received on the provision of public services in the Welsh language in each of the last three years; and what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the extent of demand for the provision of public services in the Welsh language.

Paul Murphy: I have had a number of recent discussions with the First Minister regarding the proposal for an Order on the Welsh language. The Welsh Language Act 1993 provides a practical framework to promote and develop the use of the Welsh language in Wales. It has proved an effective tool in ensuring Welsh speakers are able to receive key public services in Welsh.
	The Wales Office has recorded some 20 representations on the provision of public services in the Welsh language in the last three years. In the first year, these broadly covered Welsh language schemes, translation services, utility bills in Welsh and the use of Welsh in the European Union. In the second year, issues raised included the use of Welsh in the domestic energy sector and provision of Welsh language services in prisons. Issues raised over the last year have included the provision of translation services and future statutory provision on the Welsh Language.
	I have not commissioned any recent research on the demand for the provision of public services in Welsh.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Consultants

Greg Clark: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what payments the Equality and Human Rights Commission has made to  (a) Four Communications plc and  (b) APCO Worldwide since its creation; and on what date and for what purpose the payment was made in each case.

Barbara Follett: The information is as follows:
	 (a) No payments were made by the Equality and Human Rights Commission to Four Communications plc.
	 (b) There is a fixed fee agreement with ACPO Worldwide to the value of £65,000 plus VAT for work covering campaigning, media advice and communications planning, however no payments have been made as yet.

Equal Pay: Civil Servants

John Bercow: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent discussions she has had on the gender pay gap in the civil service.

Barbara Follett: In January this year, I met with ministerial colleagues to discuss the subject of equal pay in the public sector, including the civil service. Action from this meeting is still ongoing, and further ones are likely to be held on the same subject.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Vote Bundle

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many hon. Members have the Vote Bundle delivered to their office within the parliamentary estate.

Nick Harvey: 190 hon. and right hon. Members have elements of the Vote Bundle delivered to their offices at their request.

OLYMPICS

Olympic Delivery Authority: Welsh Language

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what recent assessment she has made of the level of demand for the services provided by the Olympic Delivery Authority to be provided in the Welsh language; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: To date, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has not received any requests for its services to be translated into the Welsh language. In relation to ODA publications, the ODA will translate its publications on request into alternative languages.

Olympic Games 2012: West Midlands

John Spellar: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what assessment she has made of the likely effects of the 2012 London Olympic Games on the black country.

Tessa Jowell: The Government and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) are working to ensure that the benefits of 2012 reach across the UK. They have established a Nations and Regions Group (NRG) to oversee this work chaired by Charles Allen. The Black Country Consortium Ltd. is a key stakeholder on the West Midlands Leadership Group for the 2012 Games to ensure that the people of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton are fully engaged.
	The ODA has already awarded 26 contracts to companies registered in the west midlands including a number of black country businesses who have won contracts related to the regeneration programme around the Olympic Park.
	Black country businesses are being encouraged to sign up to the CompeteFor system through a series of business briefings being held across the west midlands region. Over 75 businesses attended the recent CompeteFor workshop held in the west midlands. Businesses in every constituency should be encouraged to sign up and get support to compete for and win contracts.
	Additionally, two facilities from the black country—Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton and the University of Wolverhampton—offering four sports/disciplines, are to be included in the official London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp Guide.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Floods: Norfolk

Norman Lamb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners when the Church Commissioners were informed of the proposals set out by Natural England regarding the future maintenance of flood defences in North Norfolk; and what estimate the Commissioners have made of the number of churches at risk of flooding should the proposals be implemented.

Stuart Bell: The Archbishops' Council's Cathedrals and Church Buildings division is aware of these proposals but was not formally involved in discussions with Natural England.
	There is no central estimate of the number of churches at risk of flooding; this would be a matter for individual dioceses.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Angling

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals to regulate the selling of recreational fishing tackle.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Marine Bill will include a ban on the use of gaffs and tailers when fishing for migratory or freshwater fish in inland waters or in the six nautical mile zone around the coast of England and Wales. DEFRA does not, however, propose to regulate the selling of fishing tackle.

Batteries: EU Action

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made on the implementation of the EU Batteries Directive.

Joan Ruddock: Responsibility for implementation is being shared between DEFRA and BERR; DEFRA is leading on the portable/household battery provisions, while BERR is leading on the automotive/industrial batteries and single market provisions. BERR is the overall lead Department.
	A first consultation on proposals on ways to implement the directive was jointly published by DEFRA, BERR and the devolved Administrations of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales on 21 December and closed on 13 March. We are currently preparing a joint official response.
	A second consultation with draft regulations will follow in late summer.
	As part of the BREW (Business Resource Efficiency and Waste) programme run by DEFRA, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) was asked to pilot collection schemes. WRAP worked in partnership with a range of local authorities, not for profit organisations and others to assess options for cost effective UK household battery collection. The results of these trials will help the Government and battery producers identify the best mechanisms and most efficient methods of collection that could be rolled out across the UK. WRAP'S report is due to be published shortly.

Carbon Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward amendments to the Climate Change Bill to provide for the appropriate level of carbon dioxide emission reductions required from transport within the non-traded emissions sector to be determined.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the Second Reading debate of the Climate Change Bill on 9 June 2008.

Climate Change

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of any increase in global temperatures of greater than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial mean temperatures on  (a) provisions of food and water,  (b) flooding and  (c) migration.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 13 June 2008
	An evaluation of the implications of such an increase in global temperatures on provisions of food and water and flooding, can be found in the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This is available online.

Climate Change

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research he has assessed on the likely level of stabilisation of global temperatures in relation to pre-industrial mean temperatures; what estimate he has made of the likely range of stabilisation temperatures; and what steps he plans to take to reduce the probability of stabilisation at the upper end of the temperature range.

Phil Woolas: Our assessment of future climate change comes from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) 2007 Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). Warming over this century will be dependent on future human emissions of greenhouse gases.

Domestic Wastes: Recycling

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of household waste was recycled in each London borough in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: The household recycling and composting rates for all London boroughs are calculated from data submitted to WasteDataFlow by local authorities for the period July to September 2007. This is the most recent period for which data are available. See footnote for exceptions.
	Recycling and composting rates are affected by seasonal variation in waste generation and therefore the rates for the financial year 2007-08 may be notably different to the figures given in the following table.
	
		
			  Household recycling and composting rate July to September 2007 
			  Authority  Percentage 
			 Barking and Dagenham 21.50 
			 Barnet 33.93 
			 Bexley 44.17 
			 Brent 21.65 
			 Bromley 34.48 
			 Camden 23.35 
			 City of London 32.29 
			 Croydon 23.38 
			 Ealing 28.32 
			 Enfield 29.33 
			 Greenwich 27.22 
			 Hackney 20.70 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham(1) 23.63 
			 Haringey 27.31 
			 Harrow 39.02 
			 Havering 24.04 
			 Hillingdon 36.38 
			 Hounslow 23.35 
			 Islington 24.54 
			 Lambeth(1) 23.10 
			 Lewisham 20.97 
			 Merton 26.08 
			 Newham 13.58 
			 Redbridge 22.25 
			 Richmond upon Thames 35.75 
			 Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea(1) 24.28 
			 Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames 23.95 
			 Southwark 18.88 
			 Sutton 35.43 
			 Tower Hamlets 13.50 
			 Waltham Forest 32.78 
			 Wandsworth(1) 22.87 
			 Westminster City Council 21.48 
			 (1) Recycling rates for these authorities are not available for July to September 2007. The figures are the recycling rates available for the most recent period, April 2006 to March 2007.

Flood Control

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the relative standards of protection against flood risk in rural and urban areas; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Environment Agency is currently updating its National Flood Risk Assessment and this will enable an assessment of the differences in standards of protection for rural and urban areas. Government investment is prioritised to maximise reduction in risk.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of the 15 urgent recommendations of the Pitt review on the summer floods of 2007 have been implemented; how many of the interim conclusions of the Pitt review have been implemented; and how many of the additional 20 interim conclusions of the Pitt review published on 4 March 2000 have been implemented.

Phil Woolas: The Government agreed with the 15 urgent recommendations set out in the interim Pitt report. Significant progress has been made with all of them and Sir Michael reviewed our progress with them in April 2008. His review can be found on the Cabinet Office website.
	The Government contributed DEFRA's views on the additional 92 interim conclusions to Sir Michael, many of which are already in progress, and looks forward to receiving his final report.

Flood Control: Felixstowe

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from  (a) local authorities and  (b) hon. and right hon. Members on the adequacy of Felixstowe's flood defences in the last five years; and what actions he took in response to such representations.

Phil Woolas: According to departmental records, in the last five years Suffolk Coastal district council have written to DEFRA about the adequacy of Felixstowe's flood defences on three occasions. Ministers have also held two meetings with the right hon. Member on the adequacy of Felixstowe's flood defences during this period: in March 2006 with the then Secretary of State and in October 2006 with the then Minister of State.
	The issues associated with these representations were focused on the Felixstowe flood defences and no action was taken other than providing clarification of the procedures in place, since these provide a fair and transparent means of prioritising funding to projects.

Floods: Insurance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2008,  Official Report, column 730W, on Flood Control: Finance, for what reasons insurance companies do not have direct access to data from the national flood and coastal defence database.

Phil Woolas: The Environment Agency's National Flood and Coastal Defence Database contains some information about individuals such as names and addresses. Insurance companies are therefore not permitted direct access to this information as it falls under the Data Protection Act 1998.
	In order for insurance companies to have direct access, significant changes would have to be made to the database to ensure that access to personal information is limited.

Forests: International Cooperation

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's objectives are for the forthcoming G8 Environment Ministerial in Kobe, Japan; and whether he will be seeking an agreement to address illegal logging.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs attended this meeting on 24 to 26 May.
	The three agenda items were climate change, biodiversity (covering illegal logging issues) and the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). The meeting produced a Chair's Summary, as well as agreeing a '3R Action Plan' and a 'Call to Action on Biodiversity', linked to a 'G8 Forests Experts' Report on Illegal Logging' that includes a menu of actions for G8 members to address illegal logging collectively and individually. These documents are publicly available on the website of Japan's Ministry of the Environment.
	At the meeting, the UK made contributions on each of the three items.
	On climate change, the Secretary of State's overall aim was to give impetus to the G8 summit and to engage in dialogue with G8+8 countries on climate change issues. There was a positive discussion on long-term climate goals which should send an appropriately strong signal to the G8 summit and a good discussion on carbon markets, with several parties explaining their intentions on national cap and trade schemes. There was also agreement to a further dialogue—the Kobe process—which will provide a valuable forum for informal discussions with major emitters.
	On the 3Rs, the Secretary of State underlined the importance of improving resource efficiency and promoting more sustainable products and materials at national and international level. He pointed out that implementing the England Waste Strategy 2007 is expected to lead to an annual net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 9.3 million tons of CO2 equivalent, roughly the same as taking 3 million cars off the road each year. He stressed the need for strict compliance with the UN Basel Convention on the trans-boundary movement of waste, and for measures to promote environmentally sound ship recycling.
	On biodiversity, the Secretary of State in his interventions focused particularly on forestry and illegal logging, emphasising that improved forest governance is essential to deliver reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) as well as to maintain forest biodiversity. He also underlined the importance of working to achieve the 2010 biodiversity target and ensuring effective follow-up to that target.

Insulation: Waste Disposal

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of available facilities safely to capture and dispose of products containing ozone depleting substances, with particular reference to those contained within plastic foam insulation.

Phil Woolas: The UK has some of the largest and most modern fridge treatment plants in Europe. These recover ozone-depleting substances from the fridge insulating foam and circuits, as well as, in some cases, other equipment containing ozone-depleting substances.
	There are two high temperature incinerators in the UK that are used to destroy waste ozone-depleting substances.
	The use of ozone-depleting substances in building insulation foams has been banned in the EU since the beginning of 2004. Most of these foams are currently still in buildings. DEFRA has initiated discussions with building industry stakeholders to assess the current infrastructure available for dealing with the recovery or destruction of ozone-depleting substances in building foams and the technical and economic issues that arise.

Lighting: Waste Disposal

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice he has provided to local authorities on the appropriate disposal of low-energy light bulbs containing mercury.

Joan Ruddock: The Department has not issued specific advice to local authorities about the disposal of low energy light bulbs. The responsibilities of local authorities and producers are set out in a statutory code of practice.
	Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs—the most common type of energy efficient bulbs) are covered by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. All local authorities in England are providing designated collection facilities for WEEE. Information about which sites take back CFLs (and other types of WEEE) is available on the recycle-more website at:
	www.recycle-more.co.uk
	Retailers that have joined a scheme to take back electrical and electronic equipment are funding the upgrade of local authority sites. Once CFLs have been collected, producers of the equipment have responsibility to fund treatment and recycling.
	The Department has published background information on CFLs—their benefits in terms of energy efficiency as well as advice on their disposal at the end of their lives. This can be found on the DEFRA website at:
	www.defra.gov.uk

Recycling: Greater London

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which London boroughs operate a kerbside recycling scheme for residential properties.

Joan Ruddock: All London boroughs provide a kerbside collection service for recyclable material (best value performance indicator 91a). On average, 95 per cent. of households in London received a kerbside collection of at least two recyclables in 2006-07 (BV91b). The Household Waste Recycling Act 2003 requires authorities to provide a kerbside collection service of at least two recyclable materials by 31 December 2010.

Reservoirs

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to change the criteria for assessing reservoir safety from a capacity-based definition to one based on risk; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 13 June 2008
	Reservoir safety issues are being considered by Sir Michael Pitt in his independent review of last summer's floods and I await his recommendations.

Waste Disposal: Crime

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 14 January 2008,  Official Report, column 868W, on waste disposal: crime, for what reasons the regulations will not come into force until April 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: Proposals for strengthened powers for local authorities to stop, search and seize vehicles suspected of involvement in fly-tipping form part of a wider package of measures designed to tackle illegal waste activity which has been discussed with stakeholders during the course of the last year. The Government issued a consultation document on all these measures on 13 June 2008. This consultation will end in September 2008. Allowing sufficient time for consideration of responses and detailed policy development means that the legislation will not come into force before the common commencement date in April 2009.

Water Supply: Yorkshire and the Humber

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his latest estimate is of the water reserves of  (a) Yorkshire and Humberside and  (b) Leeds Metropolitan District; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: In Yorkshire and Humberside reservoir stocks currently stand at 86 per cent. full and groundwater levels are average for this time of year.
	In south Humberside reservoir stocks are healthy, with reservoir levels at Covenham, for example, standing at 98 per cent. full. For the Leeds area specifically, stocks currently stand at 88 per cent. The Environment Agency continues to routinely monitor the situation.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Biofuels

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the cost of meeting the UK's provisional target under the proposed Renewable Energy Directive of 15 per cent. of total energy coming from renewable sources by 2020 with levels of use of biofuels of  (a) 1 per cent. by volume of the road fuel market,  (b) 5 per cent. by volume of the road fuel market,  (c) 10 per cent. by volume of the road fuel market and  (d) 10 per cent. of final consumption of energy used in transport.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 11 June 2008
	There could be a range of different costs to meet the UK's share of the renewable energy target, depending on a range of factors. We will be setting out initial analysis of the potential costs of meeting the target in our renewable energy consultation, which will be published over the summer.

Broadband

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of levels of take-up of broadband in  (a) Glasgow,  (b) urban areas in Scotland and  (c) urban areas in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The matter raised is the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament. I have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Business: Sustainable Development

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the ways in which adoption of sustainable development practices and technologies is likely to affect businesses.

Malcolm Wicks: BERR jointly chaired the Commission on Environmental Markets and Economic Performance (CEMEP) into sustainability and the potential benefits of a transition to a low carbon economy. The Government published their response on 1 May. BERR has commissioned research, due to report later this month, to investigate the business opportunities for the UK in moving to a low carbon economy and is supporting work by the OECD which will enable businesses and government to better understand the impacts on the environment, and company performance, of business activity on sustainable development. BERR is also working to develop an environment-adjusted productivity measure which may in the future be used to evaluate policies at the aggregate and sectoral level. In general, all published research commissioned by the Department is made available on the website.

Copyright: Internet

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects to begin a public consultation on legislative proposals to require internet service providers and rights-holders to co-operate in the prevention and detection of illegal file-sharing.

Malcolm Wicks: Our preferred option remains a voluntary solution. We are keen to see an agreement that meets the criteria of fairness, legality, effectiveness and flexibility for all the parties involved. We have to recognise, though, that our hopes for such an agreement may be too ambitious. It would be very disappointing if we have to legislate—but nobody should doubt our willingness to do so if an agreement cannot be reached.

Copyright: Internet

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions he has had with  (a) internet service providers,  (b) rights holders and  (c) consumer groups on (i) voluntary co-operation and (ii) possible legislation against illegal file sharing; and what the outcomes were of those discussions.

Malcolm Wicks: Both Ministers and officials in BERR have had meetings with a wide range of internet service providers, rights holders and representatives of consumers both in the run up to, and following, the publication of the Creative Economy Strategy Paper on 22 February 2008 in which we announced that, while voluntary commercial solutions to the problem would be preferable, we would consult on legislation that would require internet service providers and rights holders to co-operate in taking action on illegal file sharing if suitable arrangements between ISPs and relevant sectors were not forthcoming or proved insufficient. Those discussions have significantly informed our understanding of the issues involved, the potential for an industry solution and possible regulatory approaches if necessary.

Copyright: Internet

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the number of music tracks illegally downloaded in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Wicks: BERR has made no such estimates. The nature of the problem means that it is very difficult to obtain robust data on. According to studies conducted by Jupiter Research, commissioned by the BPI, 6.5 million people in the UK engaged in online music "piracy" in 2007. A separate survey by Entertainment Media Research showed that in 2007 some 43 per cent. of respondents had downloaded unauthorised music from file-sharing sites, although a different survey by Olswang into convergence reported lower figures, whereby only 14 per cent. of respondents admitted unlawfully copying music.

Defence Export Services Organisation: Finance

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the operating budget of the Defence Export Services Organisation was prior to its move from the Ministry of Defence to become the UKTI Defence and Security Organisation; what the current budget is of the UKTI Defence and Security Organisation; and how much of that budget was moved from the Ministry of Defence.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 6 May 2008
	For financial year 2007-08 the net operating costs for the Defence Export Services Organisation was £12.6 million. For the current financial year, the comparable budget allocated directly to the UKTI Defence and Security Organisation for administration costs is £11.7 million.
	In line with the Machinery of Government transfers, the budget for defence trade promotion was transferred from the Ministry of Defence. The total budget transferred was £19.5 million/£19.2 million/£18.0 million for 2008-09/2009-10/2010-11, reducing, in line with the cost savings recently announced by the MOD. This transfer is for the full cost of UKTI DSO including the Defence Assistance Fund, the cost of staff based in our overseas offices, and all the central overheads and support costs previously incurred by other MOD budgets.

Digital Broadcasting: Sight Impaired

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he is taking to ensure that the Usability Action Plan on Digital Television provides for  (a) digital teletext,  (b) talking menus and  (c) audio description to assist the visually impaired.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Access to digital teletext is provided for the visually impaired through equipment for use with TV sets which is produced by Portset Systems Limited. There are no plans at present to consider developments to this feature through the Usability Action Plan.
	 (b) A range of organisations, including RNIB and TV manufacturers, are working on the technical development of talking menus for the mainstream TV market. BERR is supportive of this work and, through the Usability Action Plan, will help in promoting such products at the appropriate time.
	 (c) Audio description is available through an increasing range of digital TV products. As part of the Usability Action Plan process, BERR has recently worked with Digital UK and representatives of the supply chain to launch an extension to the "digital tick", known as the Digital Logo Scoreboard. This is a label which manufacturers can choose to use on product packaging to help highlight to consumers specified features of the product, including audio description. To date, 43 products have been registered to use the scoreboard, 38 of which provide access to audio description.

Fuel Poverty

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much each major energy supplier has agreed with his Department to contribute towards the total agreed commitment of £225 million to tackle fuel poverty over three years.

Malcolm Wicks: The individual allocations have been calculated by reference to each company's market share based on customer account numbers. Each supplier has agreed to pay a contribution per customer account. The contribution per customer account is then multiplied by the number of customer accounts "owned" by a supplier to arrive at each supplier's contribution. A breakdown of suppliers' individual contributions cannot be made available as it contains commercially sensitive information and therefore remains confidential between the Department and the energy supplier.

Fuels: Prices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent steps the Government have taken to help pensioners to meet the cost of rising fuel prices.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 12 June 2008
	We are concerned about the impact of higher prices on vulnerable people including pensioners and we continue to encourage energy suppliers to adopt initiatives to mitigate their impact.
	In Budget 2008, the Government said they would like to see the amount energy suppliers spend on social programmes increase to at least £150 million a year over the period ahead. A new voluntary agreement has recently been signed individually with the six major energy suppliers to treble their investment on social programmes in the next three years, reaching collective investment of £150 million by 2010-11. This will take spend to £100 million in 2008-09, £125 million in 2009-10 and £150 million in 2010-11.
	In addition, winter fuel payments helped keep 11.7 million people warm in winter 2006-07 and Budget 2008 announced an additional one-off payment of £100 to over-80s households and £50 to over-60s households in 2008-09.
	Finally, in the recent Ofgem fuel poverty summit a number of new initiatives were announced to improve the way we identify and target those in fuel poverty, provide support to vulnerable customers to use the competitive market effectively and ensure that tariff differentials are fair and justified.

Insulation: Waste Disposal

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform who is responsible for the safe disposal of plastic foam insulation containing ozone-depleting substances.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	Article 16 of EC Regulation 2037/2000 on substances that deplete the ozone layer includes obligations for the recovery for destruction of controlled substances, including the recovery of ozone-depleting substances from foam insulation in refrigeration equipment and, where practicable, substances contained in other products, installations and equipment. Any person having control of the controlled substances mentioned in Article 16 has a duty, under regulation 6 of The Environmental Protection (Controls on Ozone-Depleting Substances) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/528), to comply with those provisions.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects to reply to the letter of 22 April 2008, transferred from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on animal testing (reference: 82241/MG).

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 10 June 2008
	I replied to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on 4 June 2008.

Methane: Reserves

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his estimate is of coal-bed methane reserves in the South and North Wales coalfields.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 13 June 2008
	The Department has no current estimates of coal-bed methane reserves.

Oil: Cardigan Bay

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to make a decision on oil licensing in  (a) Cardigan Bay and  (b) the Moray Firth following the results of the appropriate assessments; and how those decisions will be made public.

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will make decisions on oil or gas licensing in Cardigan Bay and the Moray Firth once my officials have had the opportunity to consider the comments received from the consultation exercise carried out earlier this year. He is not yet in a position to give a definite date.
	The decisions will be made public in the normal way by announcing them on BERR's oil and gas website.

Renewable Energy: International Cooperation

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what consideration the Government have given to the proposal for the creation of an international renewable energy agency.

Malcolm Wicks: The UK attended a Preparatory Conference for the Foundation of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) hosted by Germany in April 2008. We are currently engaged in this German-led process and expect to be represented at working group meetings to be held at the end of June and September 2008.
	We fully recognise the importance of renewable energy in global energy policy and are considering the merits of this proposed new international agency in the light of other existing organisations and initiatives in the field of renewable energy.

River Severn: Tidal Power

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1763W, on Tidal Power: River Severn, what assessment he has made of the independence of the companies awarded the contracts for feasibility studies; and what steps he has taken to ensure that those companies have no conflicts of interest.

Malcolm Wicks: As my answer of 15 May to the hon. Member made clear, tenders for the two contracts awarded so far as part of the Severn tidal power feasibility study—for a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and for advice on finance and ownership issues—were assessed against a number of criteria, including "the independence of the contractor and ensuring that there is no conflict of interest".
	Both the consortium led by Parsons Brinckerhoff and PricewaterhouseCoopers, to whom these contracts have respectively been awarded, made statements in their tenders to address this criterion. Their statements were probed at interview.
	In the case of PricewaterhouseCoopers, no issues arose that required further consideration. Parsons Brinckerhoff provided assurances that they have no financial interests in the success of any barrage or tidal lagoon option, including their work on the Shoots barrage proposal in 2006 and 2007. My Department considered that questions of conflict of interest might nevertheless remain and, to deal with these, Parsons Brinckerhoff were asked to agree to assign any rights they might hold in respect of this work to the Secretary of State on a royalty-free basis, which they have done. They have also agreed to waive any moral rights they might have in respect of such work.
	In addition, my Department is creating an independent panel of engineering experts to peer review the technical assessment of options the PB consortium is doing, with advice from the Royal Academy of Engineering and other professional institutes. Work delivered under the SEA contract will be published and publicly consulted on.
	With these measures in place, my Department is fully satisfied in the independence of the PB consortium.

River Severn: Tidal Power

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what analysis he has undertaken of the effect of the construction of a Severn Barrage on the archaeological footprint of the River Severn.

Malcolm Wicks: A study to investigate archaeological impacts of a Severn tidal power project is part of a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) which is being carried out by a consortium led by Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB). Wessex Archaeology is the specialist organisation charged with undertaking this study, including consulting relevant stakeholders, such as county archaeologists. A Call for Information, issued by PB in May, particularly requested any relevant data or research related to the effects on areas identified as of potential archaeological or cultural heritage importance.
	In addition, both English Heritage and its Welsh equivalent, Cadw, are represented on the SEA steering group to ensure that the impact of any tidal range power scheme on the Severn's archaeology and heritage is properly considered.

Trade: Developing Countries

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent steps his Department has taken to make progress in the Doha development round of international trade talks.

Gareth Thomas: The World Trade Organisation issued revised negotiating texts on agriculture, non agricultural market access (NAMA) and services in May. Negotiations are continuing among WTO members in Geneva.
	The Government continue to work with the EU Trade Commissioner, other EU member states and other WTO members to achieve an ambitious, pro-development outcome to the Doha round in 2008.

JUSTICE

Courts: Offensive Weapons

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance his Department has issued on the steps to be taken when a knife is discovered on persons attending court hearings.

Jack Straw: Under section 139 Criminal Justice Act 1988, it is an offence to have any article which has a blade or is sharply pointed in a public place; the definition of 'public place' includes courts as a place to which the public have access. It is a defence to prove that a knife is carried for work, religious reasons or as part of a national costume. Section 139 only applies to those folding pen-knives with a blade of more than 3 in so possession of a pen-knife with a blade of this length or less is not an offence under the Act.
	The powers of seizure and retention of items, and of exclusion from courts, are derived from sections 53 to 55 of the Courts Act 2003.
	All knives, of whatever length, are among those items which Her Majesty's Courts Service class as prohibited items and are not permitted inside any place where court business takes place. All bladed items must be surrendered to a court security officer and if not willingly surrendered, they may be seized by those officers. If the item is not surrendered or seized, the bearer will be excluded from entry into the court or removed. The police are informed of all offensive weapons surrendered or seized and court security officers follow the advice given by them. As possession of folding pen-knife with a blade of 3 in or less is not an offence, the court security officers would not normally advise the police of these items being retained.
	If a court security officer reasonably believes that a bladed item is evidence of, or in relation to, an offence, then they contact the police as soon as possible after the item was surrendered or seized and provide them with information about the item, the person carrying the item and if appropriate, any difficulties they had in obtaining the item.
	The court security officer will then follow the advice of the police who may attend, dispose of the item, and take any other appropriate investigative action.
	If a person requests the return of an item when he/she leaves the court building, but the court security officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the item may be evidence of, or in relation to an offence, then the person is told that under section 55(2)(b), the officer has the power to retain it for up to 24 hours or until they have sought advice from the police. Items which are lawful to possess, such as folding pen-knives with the permitted length of blade, are returned when the owner asks for them.
	The Courts Act itself gives no power to retain articles beyond either the 24-hour permitted period or the later point when the owner returns to collect it. If the police do not collect the item within the permitted period or at any rate before the owner returns to collect it, then the article must be returned.
	Policy guidance on all aspects of security, including detailed guidance on the powers and practice of searching, and the seizure of prohibited items, is disseminated through the document Safe and Secure to all staff and contractors. In addition, court security officers receive full training on these powers and are not appointed until assurance is provided that this has been completed satisfactorily.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much  (a) his Department and its predecessor and  (b) its agencies spent on training courses for staff in the last (i) 12 months and (ii) five years.

Michael Wills: Responsibility for budgets and business training linked to business objectives is devolved to managers in business groups within MOJ, and there are no overall central figures available.
	Providing management and leadership training in the corporate centre last year cost £1,448,000. Due to the significant machinery of government changes over the past five years we do not have comparative figures for previous years.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what training courses were  (a) available to and  (b) taken up by civil servants in his Department in the last 12 months.

Michael Wills: No central figures for the amount of training the Department has provided is available as different business groups within the Ministry of Justice have devolved responsibility for arranging training, linked to specific business objectives. This includes induction, job skills and a range of management and leadership support.

Driving Offences: Prosecutions

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions there have been for driving in a bus lane where the defence was that the driver entered the bus lane to make way for an emergency vehicle in the last three years; and how many such prosecutions were successful.

Maria Eagle: The Court Proceedings Database held by my Department does not identify the circumstances behind each case including what the defence might have said.

Female Genital Mutilation: Prosecutions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions there have been under the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003.

Maria Eagle: There have been no prosecutions under the 2003 Act since it came into force in March 2004. However, the Act is designed to help to prevent this unacceptable practice from happening in the first place and anecdotal evidence suggests that it is doing this. It is also being used to raise awareness among relevant professionals including police forces and others in the Criminal Justice System and those involved with health care, social services and the education sector so that girls at risk can be identified. There is evidence that the law is being pursued vigorously. The Metropolitan Police Child Abuse Investigation Command, for example, has specifically targeted female genital mutilation and produced a comprehensive training pack which has been disseminated widely to London's schools and many other agencies. Ultimately, educating communities to abandon the practice is the best way forward to break the cycle of mutilation and the Act continues to be widely used for that purpose.

Juries

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many jury summons were issued in each of the last five years; and of these how many potential jurors were disqualified following the results of a Police National Computer check.

Jack Straw: The following information outlines, on a year by year basis, the total number of jury summons issued and the number of potential jurors disqualified as a result of Police National Computer (PNC) checks.
	
		
			   Total jury summons issued  Potential jurors disqualified as a result of PNC checks 
			 2007 482,226 207 
			 2006 462,972 185 
			 2005 462,633 193 
			 2004 499,368 148 
			 2003 527,766 139

Juries: Finance

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements are in place to compensate those who experience a loss of earnings as a result of jury service but who are self-employed or running new businesses and have as yet no track record of their earnings; and what arrangements are in place to provide appropriate levels of financial compensation for those jurors who draw a pension but also take on short-term contracted work.

Maria Eagle: All claims submitted for loss of earnings as a direct result of jury service, whether the juror is salaried, self-employed, or on temporary contracts, must be supported by the appropriate certificate or supporting documentation. Where an individual is running a new business and as yet there is no track record of earnings, some evidence of loss of earnings must be obtained, e.g. an authenticated letter from someone who would have offered work, quoting the remuneration or, other such documentary evidence that is available, subject to the approval by a senior officer at the Crown court. This is necessary to ensure that public money is spent carefully and the jury system is not open to abuse or fraud.
	Limits on the allowance levels for financial loss are the same for self-employed and jurors on temporary contracts are they are for salaried jurors.

Members: Correspondence

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what account the Minister of State with responsibility for Freedom of Information took of the security implications of disclosure of people's home addresses in preparing the letter dated 2 June to the hon. Member for New Forest, East on such disclosure; whether the security implications were considered as a factor in refusing disclosure of judges' home addresses under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The individuals' personal security was a factor in determining that to release the addresses would breach the privacy of the judges concerned.

Offensive Weapons: Yorkshire

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted for offences relating to the illegal possession of knives in a public place in South Yorkshire in each year since 1997.

Jack Straw: The number of people convicted for offences relating to the illegal possession of knives in a public place, in the South Yorkshire police force area, from 1997 to 2006 are in the following table.
	The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for the illegal possession of knives in a public place( 1) , in South Yorkshire police force area, 1997 to 2006( 2, 3) 
			   Number 
			 1997 53 
			 1998 58 
			 1999 63 
			 2000 66 
			 2001 114 
			 2002 146 
			 2003 147 
			 2004 117 
			 2005 169 
			 2006 150 
			 (1) Includes the following offences: Having an article with blade or point in public place—Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.139 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.3. Having an article with blade or point on school premises—Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.139A (1)(5)(a) as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.4(1). (2) These data are on the principal offence basis. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Prisoners Release: Reoffenders

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what categories of offences have been alleged to have been committed by prisoners recalled while on the End of Custody Licence scheme.

Jack Straw: Approximately 1 per cent. of offenders placed on End of Custody Licence have been reported to NOMS as having reoffended or alleged to have reoffended. Data on ECL release and recall which have been published monthly since the scheme began, can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/endofcustodylicence .htm.
	The categories of offences alleged to have been committed include: violence against the person, sexual offences, burglary, robbery, theft and handling, fraud and forgery, drug offences and motoring offences.

Prisons: Population

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects prison capacity in England and Wales to reach 86,000; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: I will respond to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
	 Substantive answer from Jack Straw to Nick Herbert:
	We estimate that prison capacity in England and Wales will reach 86,000 places around September 2009.
	We are expanding prison capacity by 20,000 places and aim to achieve an overall net capacity of just over 96,000 by 2014.

Reoffenders

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the National Offender Management Service has conducted research on the actual or predicted recidivism rates of offenders by  (a) custodial institution,  (b) probation service area and  (c) local criminal justice board area.

Jack Straw: The Ministry of Justice is currently undertaking a programme of work to look at how best to produce these data (accounting for the different types of prisons and movement of offenders between prisons). This work should be completed by the end of the financial year 2008-09.
	The Ministry of Justice has developed internal management information on reoffending for use by probation areas. These data show a timely area-based reoffending measure on a different basis from the published National Statistics on reoffending. Over the next few months as part of the local area agreements process, the Ministry of Justice will be working through plans for how best and when to publish these data.
	The measure shows, for each of the 42 probation areas, the proportion of those on the probation caseload who reoffended within three months and were convicted within six months of the end of every quarter. This actual rate is compared to a predicted rate of reoffending. These experimental statistics are circulated to probation areas four times a year.
	Local criminal justice board areas are coterminous with probation areas.

Reoffenders

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders aged 18 to 24 years old reoffended within two years of leaving prison in the last five years.

David Hanson: The latest statistics on re-offending published in May 2008 report the re-offending rates over a one year follow up period.
	The following table shows the one-year proven re-offending rates for offenders aged 18 to 24 years old leaving prison in the first quarter for 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
	
		
			   Total number of offenders  Number of offenders that re-offended  Actual one-year re-offending rate (percentage) 
			 2000 Q1 6,048 3,705 61.3 
			 2002 Q1 5,983 3,735 62.4 
			 2003 Q1 5,382 3,277 60.9 
			 2004 Q1 5,454 3,118 57.2 
			 2005 Q1 4,932 2,704 54.8 
		
	
	For more information on the latest re-offending statistics, including additional information on frequency and severity of re-offending please consult:
	www.justice.gov.uk/docs/re-offending-adults-2000-05.pdf

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Apprentices: Finance

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much funding was allocated for apprenticeships in West Chelmsford constituency in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: Information on Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funding allocations is not available at parliamentary constituency level. The funding allocated to apprenticeships provision in Essex is provided in the following table. Local LSC funding data are only available from 2004-05.
	
		
			  Essex LSC apprenticeships funding allocation 
			   £ million 
			   Apprenticeships funding allocation 
			 2004-05 14.8 
			 2005-06 13.3 
			 2006-07 14.1 
			 2007-08 16.4 
			  Source: Learning and Skills Council

Departmental Internet

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will introduce a search function on his Department's website.

David Lammy: DIUS is currently working with our supplier to implement a basic search facility on our existing corporate website. In addition to this, we are undergoing a project to completely redesign and upgrade the technology of our website, which is an interim solution launched following the creation of DIUS last year. We aim to launch our new site, including more advanced search functionality, in the autumn.

Departmental Internet

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will publish his Department's statistical releases on its website.

David Lammy: In line with the new arrangements for the release of National Statistics following the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007, all statistical first releases relating to National Statistics are released through the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) website
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/.
	In addition, the Department's statistical releases are released on the joint Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) Research and Statistics Gateway website
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/index.shtml.
	The Department's main website
	http://www.dius.gov.uk/
	contains a link to the Research and Statistics Gateway website.

Higher Education: Admissions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many universities require candidates for admission to undergraduate courses to sit an aptitude test; what his Department's policy is on the matter; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: HE admissions, including the use of entrance tests, are a matter for higher education institutions themselves. The Government do not have the power to direct institutions in the use of tests nor do they hold data centrally on admissions tests.
	The number and range of entrance tests has, however, recently been the subject of research by the Supporting Professionalism in Admissions programme of work, who found that a relatively small number of institutions use tests (14 per cent.) and only 0.43 per cent. of courses in the UCAS scheme—there has not been a great burgeoning in usage.
	It is a fundamental principle that universities should decide whom they should admit. It is important, however, that universities are open, clear and transparent about their admissions systems and policies.
	We do not want to see a proliferation of admissions tests for tests sake. We would be concerned if additional tests were to impose burdens that particularly affect applicants from under-represented groups and or schools that are less familiar with preparing leavers for higher education.

Higher Education: Student Wastage

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what research his Department  (a) has commissioned,  (b) plans to commission and  (c) has evaluated on the impact of top-up fees on university drop-out rates; when his Department last undertook a review of the matter that took into account (i) UK and (ii) international research; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Student retention rates at higher education institutions in this country compare very well internationally. The UK ranks fifth in the OECD for first degree completion rates, out of 23 countries who report data in this area. A university education is now open to more students than ever before and the Government are totally committed to providing opportunities for all people to achieve their potential and to maximise their talent. The improved student finance support package, from academic year 2008-09 onwards, demonstrates that commitment.
	It is too early to determine whether the introduction of variable tuition fees has had any impact on drop-out rates in higher education. The most recent information on the standard measure for non-completion dates from 2005-06, prior to the introduction of variable tuition fees in 2006-07. However, we will explore this issue further when more relevant data are available and feed this into the evidence base for the independent review of variable fees.
	
		
			  Table 1 :  Proportion of UK-domiciled full-time first degree starters at higher education institutions in England, who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another institution. 
			   Percentage 
			 2000-01 15.0 
			 2001-02 13.8 
			 2002-03 13.9 
			 2003-04 14.4 
			 2004-05 13.8 
			 2005-06 13.9 
			  Source:  Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA. 
		
	
	The latest available information for higher education institutions in England is shown in Table 1.

Royalties

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills to how many artists of each type a resale royalty has been paid since February 2006.

David Lammy: This is a question best addressed to those responsible for collecting and paying artist's resale right. I suggest my hon. Friend contacts the relevant collecting societies, who may be able to provide a breakdown of the payments they have made.

Royalties

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many resold artworks have been subject to the artists' resale right since February 2006; and what those works cost in total.

David Lammy: According to independent research commissioned by the UK Intellectual Property Office, between 15 February 2006 and 31 July 2007, some 4,700 works sold at auction were eligible for resale right, having a value of approximately £162 million.

Students: Fees and Charges

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost of abolishing university tuition fees for all undergraduate students from England studying at English universities.

Bill Rammell: There are no plans to abolish university tuition fees for all undergraduate students from England studying at English universities. The income from such fees generates about £2.5 billion annually for universities and it helps them to tackle the challenges we identified in framing the new fee and student support arrangements—to maintain and improve high standards, to expand and widen access to meet rising skill needs, and to compete globally. Record numbers of undergraduate students are going to universities both generally and from non-traditional backgrounds since we introduced our reforms in 2006.

Students: Grants

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of part-time undergraduate students in England received a fee grant in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of part-time undergraduate students in England received a course grant in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: Information from the Student Loans Company shows that, in the academic year 2006-07, of English domiciled part-time students, around 44,000 received fee grants and 46,000 received course grants. Each total represents around 10 per cent. of part-time undergraduate students. Part-time students need to be studying at 50 per cent. of the intensity of a full-time student to apply for both a fee and course grant.
	This Government were the first to introduce statutory support for part-time students, in 2000/01. In 2006-07, we introduced the most generous package of financial support ever for part-time students in England. This included increasing the maximum fee grant by 27 per cent. and an above-inflation increase in the income threshold for receiving this support. English-domiciled part time students in 2006-07 received £11 million course grant and £27 million fee grant, compared with £9 million course grant and £19 million fee grant in 2005-06.
	The part-time package is different from the support available to full-time students because it has been designed to meet the particular needs of part-time students. Unlike full-time students, many part-time students are in full-time employment—two-thirds according to the Woodley report, published at the end of 2004. That report also found that 36 per cent. of part-time students receive full fee support from their employer.

Visual Arts

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate has been made by the Government of the contribution made by artists' beneficiaries to the UK art market.

David Lammy: The Government have made no such estimate of the contribution to the art market of artists' beneficiaries.

Visual Arts

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment has been made by the Government of the impact of the EU Artists Resale Rights Directive 2001/84/EC on the UK art market.

David Lammy: The Government commissioned the Intellectual Properly Institute to produce an independent report on this issue. I refer my hon. Friend to my written statement of 2 April 2008 (column 59-60WS).

Visual Arts

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate has been made by the Government of the change in size of the UK art market since 2006.

David Lammy: The Government commissioned independent research on the impact of artist's resale right on the UK art market. This, and other research, has concluded that the UK art market had grown significantly over this period.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bombs

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to provide additional assistance for those affected by the use of cluster munitions overseas.

Gareth Thomas: When the cluster munitions convention comes in to force, it will be for affected countries to provide assistance to cluster munitions victims, and to seek support from international partners if necessary. The UK is already one of the world's leading donors to humanitarian demining, and since 2001 the Department for International Development (DFID) has spent over £70 million on clearing landmines, cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war, and helping victims in the worst affected countries. For example, DFID has contributed over £3.5 million towards clearance of the 40 square kilometres of southern Lebanon contaminated by unexploded cluster munitions during the conflict in 2006. One of our major partners, the Mines Advisory Group, has alone cleared over 17,000 unexploded sub-munitions in southern Lebanon since August 2006, allowing thousands of people to return home safely.

Gambia: Health Services

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) type and  (b) value of aid his Department is giving to the Sheikh Zayed Regional Eye Care Centre in Gambia; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not provided funds to the Sheikh Zayed Regional Eye Care Centre in Gambia.

Iraq: Christianity

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any estimate has been made of the number of Iraqi Christians  (a) displaced and  (b) killed since March 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has registered some 280,000 Iraqi refugees throughout the region. Of the total registered, approximately 42,000 are Christians.
	The International Organisation of Migration (IOM) estimates that out of an assessment of over a million individuals, approximately 55,000 are Iraqi Christians who have been internally displaced since 22 February 2006.
	We do not have an estimate of the number of Iraqi Christians killed since March 2003.
	It is not the UK's policy to provide direct assistance to any particular religious group in Iraq. Rather, we channel our assistance through established international organisations, notably the UN, with the mandate to provide protection to all refugees regardless of ethnicity or religion. We are committed to alleviating the humanitarian situation, both for internally displaced people in Iraq and for Iraqi refugees in the region. We have committed over £149 million in humanitarian assistance to international agencies working in Iraq and the region since 2003—including £17 million for this year.

Malawi: Agriculture

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to continue the support by his Department of the subsidy for the purchase of seed and fertiliser in Malawi for farmers.

Douglas Alexander: The UK Government are providing £20 million to support the Government of Malawi's inputs and maize markets programme over four years (2007-2011), and indirectly about £5 million of support goes to agriculture and the inputs programme through DFID Poverty Reducing Budget Support.
	As our support for the inputs and maize markets programme nears an end, we will review the programme in the light of Government of Malawi plans for the future. The President of Malawi has stated publicly that there should be a review of the programme after the election in 2009.

Natural Disasters

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what meetings he has held with representatives of the space industry on the development of earth observation satellites to undertake monitoring work on global weather patterns to reduce the impact of natural disasters in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: Although I have not held a meeting specifically to discuss the use of satellites in monitoring global weather patterns, I did meet representatives of UKSpace in June last year to discuss the benefits of space technology to development more widely. Department for International Development (DFID) officials have also met representatives of the space industry more than once over the past year. In October 2007 DFID hosted a "Space for Development" seminar, which included representatives from the British National Space Centre and the space industry.
	DFID makes full use of UNOSAT, the UN programme which provides the international community with access to satellite imagery for use both in humanitarian relief and disaster prevention.

TRANSPORT

BRB: Residuary

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed by the British Railways Board (Residuary); what that body's budget was in 2007-08; and when she expects the body to be wound up.

Tom Harris: BRB (Residuary) Ltd.'s annual report and accounts for the year ending 31 March 2008 is currently being audited by external auditors. When this audit is complete, these accounts will be published on the company's website at www.brbr.gov.uk and will contain full financial results along with the number of staff employed for the period.
	No date has been set for the formal winding up of the company.

Equality

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to establish a strategy to tackle age discrimination and promote age equality in the provision of goods and services  (a) by the Department and  (b) within the sector for which she has policy responsibility; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Our aim is transport that works for everyone. In line with anti-discrimination legislation the Department for Transport has produced race, disability and gender equality schemes. We intend to unify these schemes into a single Equality Scheme which will also take account of other areas in which we wish to promote equality of opportunity: age, religion or belief, sexual orientation and human rights.
	We have also developed regulations and issued good practice guidance to help deliver services that meet older people's mobility and personal security needs, as well as sponsoring a wide ranging research programme. Regular consultation and assessment help us monitor the effectiveness of our policies.

Public Transport: Concessions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will estimate the cost of mutual recognition of bus concessionary travel between England and Wales.

Rosie Winterton: At present we have made no detailed assessment of the cost of introducing mutual recognition of concessionary bus passes between England and Wales.

Railways: Standards

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with  (a) Network Rail and  (b) National Express East Anglia on disruptions caused by failures to the infrastructure on the line from Colchester to London Liverpool Street since 1 January 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: Department for Transport officials meet regularly with Network Rail and train operators, including National Express East Anglia, to discuss performance across the network.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average speed was of drivers successfully prosecuted for exceeding the speed limit in SPECS sites on the  (a) M25 and  (b) M11 in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not collected centrally. Available information records the numbers convicted of speeding, not the speeds at which they were travelling.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC: Internet

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will direct the Competition Commission to review the BBC's use of its resources in the development of on-line TV services in collaboration with commercial enterprises.

Andy Burnham: Investigations are referred to the Competition Commission by various authorities with responsibility under UK competition law, such as the Office for Fair Trading or independent regulators. I have no authority to refer work to the Commission.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency spent on training courses for staff in the last (i) 12 months and (ii) five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is as follows:
	(i)The Department for Culture Media and Sport has spent a total of £660,804 on learning and development for the financial year 2007-08. This figure includes spending from the L&D central and delegated divisional training budgets. It also includes learning and development events organised by DCMS and accessed by staff from the Royal Parks agency.
	(ii) The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and its agency has a total learning and development spend of £3,349,724 for the last five financial years.
	In the last five financial years:
	
		
			   Total spend (£) 
			 2003-04 524,000 
			 2004-05 604,917 
			 2005-06 780,003 
			 2006-07 780,000 
			 2007-08 660,804 
		
	
	All figures include external venue costs where these were required to deliver training events.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what training courses were  (a) available to and  (b) taken up by civil servants in his Department in the last 12 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The training undertaken by the civil servants in DCMS within the last 12 months are:
	Advanced experimental design and analysis
	Annual Conference for Non-executives on Civil Service Boards
	Association of Chartered Accounts (Papers F2 -F9)
	Certificate in Personnel Practice
	CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting
	CIPD Employment Electives and People Management Development
	Clean language and Symbolic Modelling
	CMS/FOI
	Coaching
	Constructive Conversations
	Diploma (Supported Further Education)
	Doctorate of Business Administration
	Effective Briefing
	Effective Ministerial Correspondence
	Effective Minute Taking
	Effective selection
	Equality Impact Assessment wash up session
	Essential writing skills for all Civil Servants
	EU Decision-making process and problem solving
	Executive Masters in Business Administration
	Excel 2000 Levels 1 & 2
	Finance for Purchasers
	Financial Aspects of Sponsorship
	Gateway Reviewer
	Government Economic Service Annual Conference
	Government Framework
	GSS AS/StO induction Course
	HNC (Supported Further Education)
	How Brussels works
	How Government works
	How Parliament works
	Induction
	Influential Manager
	Intermediate NVQ level 3 Open Flexible Learning (AAT)
	Interviewee skills
	Intro to Government Finance
	Intro to Programme Management
	Intro to Projects in DCMS
	Introduction to Purchasing
	IODA
	ISEB
	IT Surgery
	JEGS Training
	Leaders UnLtd
	Leading and Influencing
	MA—Various (Supported Further Education)
	Making Policy that Happens
	Management and Personal Development for Women
	Managing for the first time
	MBTI Step 1 Qualifying
	Mentoring
	Mind Mapping Techniques
	Minute taking
	NLP Master class Intensive CPD weekend
	Outlook
	Performance Management
	Personal effectiveness
	Persuading and Influencing Stakeholders
	PowerPoint
	Presentation Skills
	Prince 2 for Practitioners
	Procurement and Contract management
	Project basis
	Project management Essentials
	Risk Management and Supply Chain Vulnerability
	SCS Base Camp
	Stakeholder Management
	Strategic Supply Chain Management
	Stress Management
	Succession planning and Talent Management Workshop
	Team Awaydays
	Time Management
	Tourism Day—Using Evidence and Analysis
	Use of Evidence and Analysis
	Word
	Young Public Sector Programme
	Staff and managers identify any training requirements, including specialist, through personal development discussion. This is then submitted to learning and development for consideration that it meets the business, team and individual needs. Therefore the Department will provide any training that is relevant and has been requested.

Departmental Transport

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when each of his Department's and its agencies' green transport plans were introduced; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such plan.

Margaret Hodge: The Department has not introduced a green transport plan. The Royal Parks, the Department's only executive agency, is developing one.

Football: World Cup

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what discussions the Minister for Sport has had with the Football Association (FA) on the constitution of the FA World Cup bid board;
	(2)  what discussions the Government's World Cup Ambassador has had with the Football Association (FA) on the constitution of the FA World Cup bid board.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government wholeheartedly support the Football Association's (FA) bid for the 2018 World Cup and we are working closely with them. I have met the FA Chairman and officials on a number of occasions, both accompanied by the Prime Minister's World Cup Ambassador and not, to discuss all aspects of the bid, including the constitution of the bid company. I will continue to do so.

Libraries: Internet

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public libraries in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England offered internet access to users in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: The number of libraries with access to the internet in South Tyneside, the North-East and England as published annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy in Public Library Statistics are detailed in the table. There are no published figures for the number of libraries with internet access in the parliamentary constituency of Jarrow.
	
		
			  Libraries with internet access 
			   South Tyneside  North East  England 
			  Computerised service points open for 10+ hours( 1)
			 1996-97 7 (2)— (2)— 
			 1997-98 7 (2)— 407 
			 1998-99 7 (2)— 932 
			 
			  Static service points open for 10+ hours per week with internet access for public use
			 1999-2000 8 (2)— 1,669 
			 2000-01 8 (2)— 2,100 
			 2001-02 8 173 2,416 
			 2002-03 8 187 2,965 
			 2003-04 8 199 3,033 
			 2004-05 8 230 3,479 
			 2005-06 8 229 3,500 
			 2006-07 9 231 3,494 
			 (1 )Computerised service points do not necessarily denote that all the service points were connected to the internet (2) Denotes no published figures for internet access  Source: Public Library Statistics published annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA)

Members: Correspondence

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to answer the letter of 4 April from the hon. Member for Harwich on film archives.

Margaret Hodge: I replied to the hon. Member on 16 June 2008.

National Lottery

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what payments were made to the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt from  (a) the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund and  (b) the National Lottery Distribution Fund in each of the last three years.

Andy Burnham: Details of payments to the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt (CRND) can be found in Note 6 of the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund (OLDF) annual accounts and the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF) annual accounts, which can be found on the Department's website:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/
	or in the House Libraries. The 2007-08 accounts are expected to be laid before Parliament in October and will be placed on the Department's website and in the House Libraries at that time. A summary of amounts received in the past three years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £000 
			   NLDF  OLDF 
			 2004-05 190 — 
			 2005-06 179 — 
			 2006-07 144 49 
		
	
	The Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund (OLDF) came into legal existence on 8 April 2005 under the terms of the Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 (Commencement No. 2) Order 2005 (SI 2005/1134).

National Lottery: Buildings

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much office space was taken up by staff in his Department engaged on National Lottery Distribution Fund matters in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 12 June 2008
	In 2007-08 staff in the Department engaged on National Lottery Distribution Fund matters occupied approximately 29 m(2) of office space. The Department does not hold information for the period 2003-04 to 2006-07.

Playing Fields: Planning Permission

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if he will break down by region the sites where planning applications relating to playing fields were accepted on sites that Sport England considered resulted in a detrimental impact to sport, in each year since 2001;
	(2)  how many planning applications relating to playing fields were accepted on sites that Sport England considered  (a) resulted in a detrimental impact to sport and  (b) did not result in an improvement to sport, in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England has provided the following information on the number of planning applications which  (a) resulted in a detrimental impact to sport, and  (b) did not result in an improvement to sport, since 2001. Sport England does not hold this information by region nor do they hold central records relating to this prior to 2001.
	
		
			   Applications 
			 2001-02 52 
			 2002-03 76 
			 2003-04 52 
			 2004-05 47 
			 2005-06 40

Playing Fields: Planning Permission

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many planning applications there were relating to playing fields, on which Sport England were consulted, in 2005-06, broken down by region.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England has advised that the numbers of planning applications on playing fields, on which Sport England were consulted, in 2005 - 2006, by region is as follows:
	
		
			  Region  Applications 
			 East 219 
			 Midlands 96 
			 London 46 
			 North-east 80 
			 North-west 112 
			 South-east 259 
			 South-west 138 
			 West midlands 182 
			 Yorkshire 174 
			 Total 1,306

Public Libraries: Opening Hours

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public libraries were open for more than 60 hours per week in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2007.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 13 June 2008
	According to the "Public Library Statistics" published by The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, in England there were seven library service points open for more than 60 hours per week in 1996-97 and there were 97 in 2006-07.

Regional Sports Boards

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the role of regional sports boards will be under the Sport England strategy for 2008 to 2011.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Regional Sports Boards will be replaced by a ministerial nominee in each region who will act as an advocate for community sport and help lever in regional funding from the public and private sector. A decision on the London Regional Sports Board will be made following discussions with the Mayor. The changes across all nine regions will be implemented in full by the end of the year.
	Sport England will retain a regional presence through its network of nine regional offices, but their work will be more tightly focused. A new structure will be announced by the end of June.

Tourism

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the Foreign Secretary on policies affecting inbound tourism.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 13 June 2008
	 Since the start of 2008, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I have exchanged detailed correspondence about issues relevant to the Strategic Review of Tourism Support, which is presently being taken forward by VisitBritain. The aim of these discussions was to make the best possible use of the overseas assets of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the British Council, along with VisitBritain's overseas office network, in promoting inbound tourism. These discussions have contributed to the emerging findings of the Strategic Review, which is expected to report in July.

Tourism: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what method his Department uses to estimate the level of local authority expenditure on tourism; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Figures for local authority tourism spending in England are derived from returns made by individual authorities to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
	Each year, local authorities in England report a breakdown of their revenue budgets for the forthcoming year in April and their revenue outturn for the previous year in July. All authorities are required to complete the forms and DCLG achieves a 100 per cent. response rate.
	According to DCLG's guidance to local authorities (Guidance Note RO6 on completing the General Fund Revenue Account Outturn for Cultural, Environmental and Planning Services), the following activities should be reported as tourism spending:
	Marketing and policy—the marketing, development and promotion of tourism in the area concerned; the promotion and advertisement of the area to potential visitors; contributions to Regional Tourist Boards; grants and loans given to support organisations offering attractions or other tourist-related facilities; the provision of tourist conference facilities; and tourist research:
	Visitor information—tourist maps and guides, "what's on" leaflets, etc.;
	Visitor centres—Tourist information Offices, Centres and Bureaux, and/or dedicated tourism staff for the provision of information to visitors.
	An analysis of local authority tourism spending, along with other elements of public sector tourism funding, forms part of the present Tourism Framework Review, which is being led by VisitBritain. The review is expected to report in July.

Tourism: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on tourism in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: DCMS spending on tourism is via grant in aid to VisitBritain which is broken down as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2003-04 47.9 
			 2004-05 48.4 
			 2005-06 48.9 
			 2006-07 49.9 
			 2007-08 49.9 
		
	
	In addition to this £3.6 million, in each of these years was provided to the eight Regional Development Agencies and £1.9 million for each of these years to the London Development Agency, for the support of tourism.

Welsh Language

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the level of demand for the services provided by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental bodies to be provided in the Welsh language; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: DCMS has published a Welsh Language Scheme and uses a scoring system approved by the Welsh Language Board to ascertain which of its publications should be made in Welsh. The Department completed an assessment of the provision of services in Welsh in response to a request from the Welsh Language Board earlier this year.

World Creative Business Summit

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 1016-7W, on the World Creative Business Summit, how much will be paid to  (a) Edelman and  (b) Acclaim for services related to this event.

Margaret Hodge: DCMS has appointed Edelman and Acclaim through the Central Office of Information (COI) to deliver the World Creative Business Summit. We are currently working with COI and the agencies on delivery plans for the event. Exact payments to each agency will be agreed when plans are signed off.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings his Department has held with the Red Cross on the arrest and detention in adult criminal prisons of Afghan child refugees in Greece; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has had no meetings with the Red Cross specifically regarding the arrest and detention of Afghan child refugees in adult criminal prisons in Greece. Greece, like many other EU countries, is bound by the Council Directive laying down minimum standards for the Reception of Asylum Seekers 2003/9/EC, the implementation of which is monitored by the European Commission. We welcome recent steps taken by Greece to improve conditions for asylum seekers, for example to create new reception centres in Samos, Amygdaleza (Attica) and Sparta.

Bangladesh: Prisoners

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Bangladesh about the  (a) number and  (b) conditions of political prisoners in that country.

Kim Howells: Following the recent arrests throughout the country, the Bangladesh authorities have not released specific information on the number of political prisoners. The UK has consistently called on Bangladesh to ensure respect for fundamental individual rights, due process and judicial independence, consistent with her international obligations. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary each emphasised this to Fakruddin Ahmed, Chief Adviser of the Bangladesh caretaker government, in meetings in London and Dhaka earlier this year.

Bermuda: Administration of Justice

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the judgment of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of 28 February 2000, what representations he has made to the Government of Bermuda on legislative proposals to amend section 17(2) of the Court of Appeal Act 1964 of Bermuda regarding the grounds for appeal to the Court of Appeal against a judgment of the Supreme Court; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made no representations to the Government of Bermuda on proposals to amend section 17(2) of the Bermuda Court of Appeal Act 1964.
	We are aware of a motion put down in the Bermuda House of Assembly in March, noting the need to reform the law relating to double jeopardy where new evidence has emerged. We understand that the Government of Bermuda has not included any proposals to amend the Court of Appeal Act in its current legislative programme. Any change to the 1964 Act is a matter for the legislature of Bermuda.

Burma: Diplomatic Service

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the responsibilities of the Prime Minister's Special Envoy to Burma are; how many times he has visited the country; and what discussions he has had with the Burmese regime.

Meg Munn: Appointed in August 2007, the UK Special Representative on Middle East and Special Projects advises my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary on countries within this remit, including Burma. He undertakes specific missions and initiatives as designated by my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary and contributes to policy planning within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	In his current role, the UK Special Representative on Middle East and Special Projects has visited Burma once on 25 May 2008 when he accompanied my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development to the International Donors Conference, following Cyclone Nargis. Since taking up the Special Representative role, the only discussions he has had with the Burmese regime took place during this visit and focussed solely on humanitarian relief. He discussed Burma with the Governments of Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand in November 2007 and April 2008 and with the Government of India in April 2008.

Burma: Entry Clearances

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria determine the inclusion of names on the visa ban list under the EU Common Position on Burma.

Meg Munn: The visa ban targets the military regime in Burma, those who benefit most from its misrule and those who actively frustrate the process of national reconciliation, respect for human rights and democracy.
	The visa ban list, under Common Position 2006/318/CFSP, includes the names of members of the military regime, the military and security forces, significant individuals associated with the military regime who formulate, implement or benefit from policies that impede Burma's transition to democracy and their families and associates. Although certain measures imposed by this Common Position are directed at persons associated with the Burmese regime and members of their families, children under 18 are not, in principle, targeted.

Departmental Computers

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has issued guidance to staff in his Department to switch off personal computers when not in use; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: For reasons of technical security Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff are instructed not to switch off personal computers when not in use.
	The implementation of the FCO's new information technology system, Future Firecrest, started in March this year. The first phase involves replacing ageing equipment in the UK; the replacement of similar equipment at posts overseas will start later this year.
	The old technology provided no effective reduced power settings. Future Firecrest is configured to make the best use of new energy saving capabilities so that personal computers enter a mode drawing minimal power—between 2 per cent. and 5 per cent. of the amount when fully powered—after a short period of user inactivity. This will be a significant contribution to the FCO's plans to reduce its energy consumption in line with the new Government targets on sustainable operations on the Government estate announced in June 2006.

Departmental Information Officers

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) press or communication officers his Department has hired and  (b) contracts for such services have been agreed in the last three months, broken down by Civil Service grade.

Meg Munn: The following response for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) includes information from FCO Services—a trading fund of the FCO.
	In the last three months, two press or communication officers have been appointed. No further details can be provided, as to do so would allow these individuals to be identified.
	It is possible that locally engaged press or communication officers have been hired within the last three months by the FCO's missions overseas, enabling us to engage better with people and Governments from other countries. However this information is not monitored centrally so it would incur disproportionate cost to collate.
	No further contracts for press and communication services have been agreed in the last three months.

Departmental Vocational Training

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what proportion of its staff his Department has provided vocational training in the last three years.

Meg Munn: All Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff have access to vocational training through a central Learning and Development team in London and a network of regional centres overseas.

European Union: Diplomatic Service

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of the UK Permanent Representation to the EU in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Murphy: The total cost of the UK Permanent Representation to the EU in the last 10 years was as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1998-2002 (1)— 
			 2002-03 11.9 
			 2003-04 11.8 
			 2004-05 15.4 
			 2005-06 (2)16.3 
			 2006-07 15.6 
			 2007-08 (3)— 
			 (1) Data on costs prior to 2001-02 are not held in a format that would enable us to answer the question without incurring disproportionate cost.  (2) Data for the cost of the UK Permanent Representation to the EU for 2005-06 are not separately identifiable without incurring disproportionate cost.  (3) Data are not yet available for the year 2007-08.   Note:  The figures tabled are management information figures which include all direct and indirect post expenditure including money spent by the centre on behalf of post including: Non-cash and cash items, administration costs, staff costs (UK based and locally employed) and programme costs.

Government Communication Headquarters: Photography

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons and on what authority photography at the Government Communications Headquarters has been prohibited.

David Miliband: holding answer 13 June 2008
	Section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 makes it an offence for any person for any purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state to approach, inspect or be in the neighbourhood of a 'prohibited place' or to make or otherwise obtain a sketch (a term which encompasses a photograph) which might be directly or indirectly useful to a potential enemy. All Government Communications Headquarters sites are prohibited places for the purposes of the Act.

Homophobia

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which countries his Department assesses  (a) gay men and  (b) lesbian women who are (i) citizens and (ii) visitors are at risk of persecution.

Meg Munn: There are nine countries that have a maximum penalty of death for consenting same sex relations. They are: Iran, Iraq, Mauritania, Nigeria (in 12 northern states where Sharia law operates), Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Yemen.
	There are ten countries that have a maximum of life imprisonment for consenting same sex relations. They are: Bangladesh, Barbados, Bhutan, Burma, Guyana, India, Maldives, Nepal, Singapore and Uganda.
	Other countries criminalise consenting same sex relations but with lesser penalties.
	There are a number of other countries where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people may be at risk of persecution. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Travel Advice points to countries where there might be a risk of persecution for visitors. The FCO also provides specific advice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people on the range of issues that they might face abroad. This can be found at: www.fco.gov.uk/travel.
	The Government oppose persecution of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people wherever it occurs. FCO officials have been active in promoting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

International Atomic Energy Agency

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK plans to make a financial contribution to support the introduction of the system for programme support and the international public sector accounting standards at the International Atomic Energy Agency, as referred to in the Director General's Introductory Statement to the Board of Governors in Vienna on 2 June 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK supports the proposed Agency-wide Information System for Programme Support (AIPS), which is necessary for the implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) within the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Funding mechanisms are still being explored within the IAEA Board of Governors; possibilities include making efficiencies within the IAEA, retention of part of the 2007 cash surplus, or voluntary donations by member states. There is no plan for the UK to make a financial contribution while this debate is ongoing.

International Atomic Energy Agency

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the budget for the International Atomic Energy Agency's Nuclear Security Fund was in the last period for which figures are available; and how much the UK committed to the Fund for that period.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The income of the IAEA Nuclear Security Fund (NSF) in 2007 was €17,758,000. In this period the UK contributed €3,041,000, making it the third largest state donor.

Malawi: Diplomatic Service

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the forthcoming vacancy for the post of high commissioner to Malawi has been publicised  (a) within his Department and  (b) elsewhere in the civil service and applications invited.

Meg Munn: holding answer 10 June 2008
	The right hon. Jack McConnell MSP has been nominated to be our next high commissioner in Lilongwe. His appointment will be made under the terms of schedule 2(2) of the Diplomatic Service Order in Council 1991, which expressly allows exceptions to the normal method of recruitment. Accordingly, the post has not been advertised within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or elsewhere within the civil service.

Terrorism: Victim Support Schemes

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is his policy that the costs of  (a) the Aftercare Plan and  (b) the exceptional assistance measures should be recovered from the people helped; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: As I stated in my written ministerial statement of 2 June, the Aftercare Plan and its successor, the Exceptional Assistance Measures for victims of terrorist incidents overseas, can fund certain expenses on behalf of British nationals and family members in exceptional circumstances following a terrorist incident overseas. Financial assistance under the Exceptional Assistance Measures is provided as a last resort where such assistance is not available from the government of the country where the incident took place, insurance providers or other agencies and organisations. The costs will not be recovered from those affected by the incident.

United Nations Commission on Violence against Women

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to support proposals for a United Nations Commission on Violence against Women.

Meg Munn: The Government are unaware of any proposals for a UN Commission on Violence Against Women. But we are committed to promoting the rights of women and girls and are active at the UN in supporting a number of initiatives that seek to address violence against women. This includes supporting resolutions that call for the intensification of all efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women as well as supporting the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women. We also support the campaign launched by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, on 25 February to intensify action to end violence against women and girls.
	More specifically the Government, through the Department for International Development, fund a programme implemented by the UN Development Fund for Women aimed at promoting women's engagement in peace-building and preventing sexual violence in conflict. Funding will go towards supporting women's community-level efforts to build peace and prevent sexual violence in Afghanistan, Haiti, Liberia, Rwanda, Timor Leste and Uganda.

Voting Rights: Females

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to encourage the enfranchisement of women in countries that do not allow women to vote.

Meg Munn: Saudi Arabia currently prohibits women from voting but has indicated that it will end its legal prohibition on women's suffrage in 2009, when women will be allowed to vote in local elections for the first time (men were given the right in 2005). In addition there are countries across the world where neither women nor men vote because there is no electoral process or where women cannot fully exercise their right to vote because structural barriers prevent them from doing so.
	The Government believe that elections play a key role in determining the democratic legitimacy of a Government. The increased participation of women and other under-represented groups will improve democracy as well as contributing to security and prosperity.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has supported several projects in recent years to increase the participation of women in politics in predominantly Islamic countries.
	The FCO's new Strategic Programme Fund will also support projects to promote the rights of women and address the structural causes that prevent women's participation in public and political life.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Assaults on Police

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were injured as a result of an assault and took leave of  (a) up to one month,  (b) two to six months,  (c) seven months to a year and  (d) more than a year in the latest period for which figures are available, broken down by police force; and how many (i) had to retire because of their injuries and (ii) were assessed for post traumatic syndrome in that period.

Tony McNulty: The requested information is not collected centrally.

Assaults on Police

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many physical assaults without weapons were made against police officers in each police force in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many assaults there were against police officers with  (a) knives,  (b) guns and  (c) other objects in each police force in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The requested information is not collected centrally.

Asylum

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum cases included in the Legacy Cases Review are awaiting allocation to a case worker.

Liam Byrne: In December 2007, we allocated over 330,000 principal applicant cases to around 60 case owners. At that date, 52,000 cases had been concluded and we believe that the caseload also includes around 60,000 to 70,000 dependants.
	Some cases were not allocated at that time and so we are continuing to refine our processes for allocating cases.

Asylum

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has set the UK Border Agency a target for the review under the Legacy Cases Review of asylum claims first made in 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The work to clear the backlog of unresolved asylum cases was announced in July 2006 with the aim to clear these cases in five years or less. We remain confident that we are on track to conclude these cases by the summer of 2011.

Asylum: Housing

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2008,  Official Report, column 611W, on Immigration: Housing, what schemes to help prevent homelessness have been included in the reimbursement package in respect of individuals and families dealt with under the legacy exercise; what the budget is for such schemes; how much has been paid to local authorities by way of reimbursement; and which local authorities have  (a) submitted claims and  (b) been reimbursed.

Liam Byrne: The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has worked with local authorities to develop local solutions to mitigate any potential impacts of the work to clear the backlog of older cases. The precise nature of any schemes adopted by authorities is a commercial matter between them and the providers with whom they deal.
	There is no separate budget for any element of the support being offered to local authorities as a result of the legacy exercise. UKBA is expected to contain expenditure on such support within its overall budget for accommodating asylum-seekers.
	No amounts have yet been paid to local authorities. The following authorities have registered claims at 3 June:
	Barnsley
	Blackburn
	Bolton
	Bradford
	Bury
	Calderdale
	Cardiff
	Derby
	Glasgow
	Hounslow Leeds
	Leicester
	Manchester
	Newport (Gwent)
	North Tyneside
	Oldham
	Rochdale
	Rotherham
	Sandwell
	Sheffield.
	The Home Affairs Select Committee is due to be updated with progress on work to clear the backlog of older cases later this month.

British Nationality: Assessments

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have been made by the Government to evaluate the testing arrangements for new citizens through the Life in the UK test.

Liam Byrne: We are currently considering the most appropriate way to assess the arrangements for migrants to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of life in the UK and of the language with citizenship courses that new citizens with less developed language skills are encouraged to undertake. We attach great importance to these policies and want to take the time to ensure that they are properly evaluated.

British Nationality: Assessments

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much revenue was received from people taking the Life in the UK test in each year since its introduction.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 12 June 2008
	Candidates taking the Life in the UK test pay a fee of 34. This is calculated on a cost recovery basis and is not therefore designed to generate revenue for the Government.

British Nationality: Assessments

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of applicants have failed the Life in the UK test at least once in each of the last three years; and how many times on average an applicant took the Life in the UK test before passing in each year.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 12 June 2008
	Applicants may take the test as many times as they wish. We do not routinely collect information on the number of times a person goes through the system and this information would be available only at a disproportionate cost.

British Nationality: Assessments

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward plans to review the Life in the UK test.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 12 June 2008
	We are currently considering the most appropriate way to assess the arrangements for migrants to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of life in the UK and of the language with citizenship courses that new citizens with less developed language skills are encouraged to undertake. We attach great importance to these policies and want to take the time to ensure that they are properly evaluated.

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the future of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office fully supports the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) and recognises the successes it has achieved. We look forward to the continued success of the organisation.

Civil Defence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what strategy her Department has established to deal with a chemical or biological attack on the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Government's Counter Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST), published in July 2006, includes planning for chemical and biological attacks. This is predominately taken forward through the 'Prepare' strand of CONTEST via the cross-government Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear (CBRN) Resilience Programme.
	The CBRN Resilience Programme aims to ensure that the response to a CBRN incident is as quick and effective as possible in order to save lives and minimise any impact on property or the environment. As such, plans to deal with chemical or biological incidents include procedures which cover:
	identifying the source of the threat;
	giving advice to victims caught in the area and to others worried about contamination;
	arranging urgent medical attention for casualties; and
	decontaminating victims and the area itself.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that the emergency services have the most appropriate equipment and training to respond to such an incident. Planning is underpinned by a CBRN Science and Technology Programme which is focused on developing the necessary capabilities and providing evidence to assist with policy and planning decisions.
	Additional information on the CBRN Resilience Programme and recent developments in this area are available on the Home Office website at:
	http://security.homeoffice.gov.uk/cbrn-resilience/

Civil Defence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the threat of a chemical or biological attack on the UK.

Tony McNulty: The Government have a risk assessment process which identifies risks (including those from chemical or biological attacks) to the UK as a whole over a five year period. This process, managed by the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, draws on relevant information and expertise from across Government. In the interests of national security, specific details are not made publicly available.

Crimes of Violence

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps the Government have taken to stop the spread of gang violence.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 10 June 2008
	In September 2007, I set up the Tackling Gangs Action Programme to focus renewed action in neighbourhoods within Birmingham, Liverpool, London and Manchester where guns and gangs have caused serious harm. It committed 1.5 million of funds to build on enforcement, community reassurance, risk management and Third Sector delivery. A practical guide to local authorities was published in May and a further 1 million will be allocated for enforcement, intelligence, safeguarding and prevention, and community reassurance.

Departmental Translation Services

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by her Department on translation and interpretation services in 2007-08, broken down by language.

Liam Byrne: We are unable to answer this question on the grounds of disproportionate cost.

Deportation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on deporting citizens of other EU member states; in what circumstances are such citizens deported from the UK; and how many deportations have taken place in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: We have made it perfectly clear that our objective is that foreign national prisoners should face deportation, when they meet the relevant criteria, and that deportation should happen as early as possible in their sentence. Any European Economic Area national who has committed a crime in the UK and received a recommendation for deportation at the time of sentencing or received a custodial sentence of 24 months or more will be considered for deportation action. The UK Border Agency will continue to take a robust approach in considering and, where international obligations allow, pursuing the deportation of EEA nationals.
	The Agency deported or removed a record 4,200 foreign national prisoners in 2007. It continues to deport increasing numbers of EEA nationals who have committed crimes within the UK, having deported or removed over 500 last year.

Female Genital Mutilation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of people in England and Wales at risk of being subjected to female genital mutilation.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	A Statistical Study to Estimate the Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in England and Wales, funded by this Department, was published by Forward in October 2007. Copies of this publication have been placed in the Library.
	Data about the numbers of girls and women admitted to hospital or killed as a result of this crime are not available centrally.
	 Note:
	Type III FGM is described as excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching/narrowing of the vaginal opening (infibulation). Type II FGM is described as excision of the clitoris with partial or total removal of the labia minora.

Female Genital Mutilation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action her Department  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take to issue guidance to the police on dealing with cases of female genital mutilation.

Vernon Coaker: In 2004, the Home Office issued a circular to all chief officers of police in England and Wales providing guidance on the investigation of cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) under the provisions of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003.
	In April 2008, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) revised and re-issued its practice guidance on investigating domestic abuse, which includes dealing with cases of FGM.
	Over the last few months, the Home Office has also been working closely with ACPO to develop an honour-based action plan that will cover specific areas; adopting a co-ordinated community response to prevent and reduce honour-based violence, ensuring that all reports of honour-based violence are investigated, facilitating effective accountability of offenders through the criminal justice system and increasing awareness. We will be reporting progress on this work on a regular basis.

Female Genital Mutilation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of women and girls taken abroad each year for the purposes of female genital mutilation.

Vernon Coaker: Data on the number of girls taken abroad each year for the purposes of female genital mutilation (FGM) are not routinely collected by this Department.
	However, an estimate on the number of girls under 15 who are at risk of FGM in the UK was published in a research study conducted by the Foundation for Women's Health and Development (FORWARD) in October 2007. The study found that there are over 20,000 girls who are at risk or may have undergone FGM living in the UK.

Fireworks: Lancashire

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests there were for misuse of fireworks in  (a) Ribble Valley constituency,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) England in each of the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 13 June 2008
	The arrests collection undertaken by the Ministry of Justice provides data on persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only. Summary offences on the misuse of fireworks do not form part of this collection.
	The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 extended the list of offences under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to allow the police to stop and search for prohibited fireworks. From information reported centrally on the number of resultant arrests we are not able to identify specific offences for which an arrest has been made.

Foreign Workers: Domestic Service

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1489W, on foreign workers: domestic service, if she will take steps to reconsider the proposal that migrant domestic workers must stay with the employer to whom the visa has been granted.

Liam Byrne: Foreign workers engaged as domestic workers in private households can currently change employers.
	Research and analysis in respect of these current provisions for domestic workers is under way and will shortly be published. In light of its findings we will consider separately, with interested parties, how best to achieve protection for any person, irrespective of how they entered the UK, who is found to be a victim of trafficking.

Heathrow Airport: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of international passengers who have been processed incorrectly through domestic arrival gates at Heathrow Terminal 5 in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The UK Border Agency is aware of five occasions when some passengers from international flights entered the domestic arrivals area at Heathrow Terminal 5. These instances occurred in the Terminal's first month of operation and there have been no further incidents in the following weeks. Not all of the passengers on the flights involved were misdirected. The total number who entered the domestic arrivals process was 232.
	All of these incidents were a result of human error on the part of the employees of either British Airways or the British Airports Authority. When notified of these events UKBA staff worked closely with the airport operator to secure the domestic arrivals area and to redirect the passengers to the appropriate area.
	On two occasions this was completely successful, but on the other three occasions a number of individuals left the domestic area prior to the error being identified. On these occasions, further checks were made which satisfied UKBA staff that the individuals who had entered did not present a known risk to the UK.
	After each incident a review was conducted with both the British Airports Authority and British Airways and these reviews identified a number of ways to prevent such events from re-occurring. Since these steps were implemented the UKBA has monitored their effectiveness, to ensure that further misdirections do not occur. In addition UKBA, the British Airports Authority and British Airways are continuing to carry out regular reviews.

Heathrow Airport: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many international flights landing at Heathrow Terminal 5 have included passengers subsequently incorrectly processed through domestic arrival gates.

Liam Byrne: The UK Border Agency is aware of five flights where some passengers from international destinations entered the domestic arrivals area at Heathrow Terminal 5. The flights originated from Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Tripoli and Moscow. These instances occurred in the Terminal's first month of operation and there have been no further incidents in the following weeks.
	All these incidents were a result of human error on the part of the employees of either British Airways or the British Airports Authority. When notified of these events UKBA staff worked closely with the airport operator to secure the domestic arrivals area and to redirect the passengers to the appropriate area.
	On two occasions this was completely successful, but on the other three occasions a number of individuals left the domestic area prior to the error being identified. On these occasions, further checks were made which satisfied UKBA staff that the individuals who had entered did not present a known risk to the UK.
	After each incident a review was conducted with both the British Airports Authority and British Airways and these reviews identified a number of ways to prevent such events from re-occurring. Since these steps were implemented the UKBA has monitored their effectiveness to ensure that further misdirections do not occur. In addition UKBA, the British Airports Authority and British Airways are continuing to carry out regular reviews.

Heathrow Airport: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she was first informed that passengers from international flights landing at Heathrow Terminal 5 had been incorrectly processed through domestic arrival gates.

Liam Byrne: All instances of international passengers being misdirected to domestic arrivals took place in Heathrow Terminal 5's first month of operation and there have been no further incidents in the following weeks. All of these incidents were a result of human error on the part of the employees of either British Airways or the British Airports Authority. The UK Border Agency was notified of these errors immediately after they were discovered and were able to take the appropriate remedial action and carry out the necessary immigration checks on these passengers.
	When notified of these events UKBA staff worked closely with the airport operator to secure the domestic arrivals area and to redirect the passengers to the appropriate area.
	On two occasions this was completely successful, but on the other three occasions a number of individuals left the domestic area prior to the error being identified. On these occasions, further checks were made which satisfied UKBA staff that the individuals who had entered did not present a known risk to the UK.
	After each incident a review was conducted with both the British Airports Authority and British Airways and these reviews identified a number of ways to prevent such events from re-occurring. Since these steps were implemented the UKBA has monitored their effectiveness to ensure that further misdirections do not occur. In addition UKBA, the British Airports Authority and British Airways are continuing to carry out regular reviews.

Identity Cards: Foreigners

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which biometrics will be used on the identity cards issued to foreign nationals from November 2008.

Liam Byrne: The identity card for issue to foreign nationals from November 2008 will contain the holder's facial image and up to two fingerprints, all of which will be encrypted within a tamper-proof chip embedded in the card. The holder's facial image will be shown on the face of the card.
	In total, we will record 11 biometric identifiers (a facial image and all 10 fingerprints) from each applicant, and store them centrally.

Illegal Immigrants

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her most recent estimate is of the number of illegal migrants in  (a) Kettering,  (b) Northamptonshire and  (c) England.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 6 June 2008
	No Government have ever been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally. By its very nature, it is impossible to quantify accurately and that remains the case.
	Exit controls were phased out from 1994. As part of the Government's 10-point plan for delivery by Christmas 2008, the majority of foreign nationals will be counted in and out of the country. This will build on the successes of our early testing of the e-Borders programme (Project Semaphore) which already covers over 30 million passenger movements and has led to 18,000 alerts and more than 1,500 arrests.
	This is part of a sweeping programme of border protection which also includes the global roll-out of fingerprint visas, compulsory watch-list checks for all travellers from high-risk countries before they land in Britain and ID cards for foreign nationals.

Immigrants: Housing

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2008,  Official Report, column 342W, on Immigration: Housing, what criteria have been established for  (a) items of expenditure incurred by local authorities and  (b) an agreed cohort of supported families cases.

Liam Byrne: The UK Border Agency has issued instructions to local authorities as to the nature of expenditure which can be reclaimed.

Immigration: Uniforms

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 30 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1261W, on Border and Immigration Agency: Uniforms, when she will write to the hon. Member for Ashford.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 10 January 2008
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 28 May 2008.

Local Authorities: Asylum

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1798W, on local Authorities: Asylum, what funding her Department allocated from the Transitional Costs Fund in 2007-08, broken down by recipient local authority; how much has been allocated from the Fund for  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 5 June 2008
	The UK Border Agency is making available to local authorities limited sums from existing budgets in order to allow them to deal with additional transitory expenditure which they incur as a result of UKBA's programme to deal with outstanding claims for asylum. No payments have yet been made to local authorities. No funds have been allocated for 2009-10. The Home Affairs Select Committee is due to be updated later this month on the progress of the work to clear the backlog of older cases.

Local Authorities: Asylum

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1798W, on local authorities: asylum, how much her Department allocated to the Transitional Costs Fund in 2007-08; how much has been allocated for  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 5 June 2008
	The UK Border Agency (UKBA) is making available to local authorities limited sums from existing budgets in order to allow them to deal with additional transitory expenditure which they incur as a result of UKBA's programme to deal with outstanding claims for asylum. No payments have yet been made to local authorities; UKBA has established a panel to adjudicate on claims but, until that panel has met, it is not possible to provide reliable estimates of the likely cost. The panel is scheduled to hold its first adjudication meeting on 11 June. No funds have been allocated for 2009-10 as UKBA will only meet transitional costs arising from this programme. The Home Affairs Select Committee is due to be updated later this month on the progress of the programme.

Members: Correspondence

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to her letter in response to Question 179071 on Mukhtar Ibrahim, when she will write to the hon. Member for Ashford with reference to Questions 156981, 150411 and 150410 on Mr. Ibrahim tabled on 30 October 2007.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 20 May 2008
	 I wrote to the hon. Member on 11 June 2008.

Members: Correspondence

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to her letter in response to question 179071, on Mukhtar Ibrahim, when she will write to the hon. Member for Ashford; and when she expects to answer the parliamentary questions on Mukhtar Ibrahim tabled by the hon. Member for Ashford on 16 July 2007.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 12 March 2008
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 11 June 2008.

Migration Advisory Committee

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff from her Department assist the Migration Advisory Committee; what their job titles and responsibilities are; and whether they assist the committee in a full-time capacity.

Liam Byrne: The MAC has a dedicated secretariat of nine staff, eight of which are full time and one part time, some of whom are on secondment from Government Departments. The job titles and responsibilities are:
	Head of Secretariat
	Head of Policy
	Head of Analysis
	Assistant Economist
	Senior Research Officer
	Policy Leader (Stakeholder engagement)
	Policy Leader (Visits and Finance)
	Policy Developer (Correspondence and Office Manager).

Migration Advisory Committee

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse has been of the Migration Advisory Committee and its staff, broken down by  (a) salary,  (b) accommodation,  (c) consultant and external fees and  (d) other costs.

Liam Byrne: Funding for the Migration Advisory Committee for 2007-08 was 0.5 million. This sum reflected the fact that the committee and secretariat would not be fully functional until November 2007.
	The funding included the cost of setting up the committee, the cost of operating the secretariat and the cost of committee members' series of regional visits across England Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. These costs are estimated as follows:
	
		
			
			 Pay and allowances (committee and secretariat) 350,000 
			 Travel and subsistence 20,000 
			 Training 5,000 
			 Publications 6,000 
			 Research 40,000 
			 Recruitment 70,000 
			 Others 9,000 
			 Total 500,000 
		
	
	For 2008-09, the committee and secretariat have been awarded funding of 1.5 million, projected to break down as follows:
	
		
			
			 Pay and allowances 670,000 
			 Travel 70,000 
			 Training 25,000 
			 Publications 20,000 
			 Research 700,000 
			 Others 15,000 
			 Total 1,500,000 
		
	
	Accommodation costs are met centrally.

Migration Advisory Committee

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the Migration Advisory Committee has met since February 2008.

Liam Byrne: In addition to other activities, since February 2008 the Migration Advisory Committee has met formally on:
	15 February 2008;
	28 March 2008 (held in Scotland); and
	2 May 2008.
	The Committee will meet next on 20 June 2008 and 21 July 2008.

Offensive Weapons

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were arrested for an offence of possession of an offensive weapon or bladed article as a result of police usage of metal detection devices in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: Information collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on number of persons arrested is based on aggregated data reported by the 43 police forces in England and Wales. From these data we are not able to determine the circumstances of an arrest.

Offensive Weapons: Lancashire

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) firearms and  (b) knives were seized by police in (i) Ribble Valley constituency and (ii) Lancashire in each of the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 13 June 2008
	Information on firearms seizures is not collated centrally. However, the development and implementation of the National Ballistics Intelligence Database (part of the National Ballistics Intelligence Service) should provide information in future about firearms seized by police.
	In 2003, a national firearms amnesty resulted in the surrender of 44,000 firearms and more than 1 million rounds of ammunition. The national knife amnesty, held from 24 May to 30 June 2006, saw almost 90,000 items handed in to police.

Offensive Weapons: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps the Government has taken to reduce knife crime in the West Midlands.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 10 June 2008
	 The Government are implementing a range of actions to tackle knife crime across England and Wales.
	On 5 June, the Government announced that anyone over the age of 16 caught in possession of a knife should expect to be prosecuted on the first offence. Those under 16 who commit offences without aggravating factors can still expect to receive a warning coupled with referral to a knife education scheme to help them understand the dangers and consequences of carrying knives, and reduce the chances of reoffending.
	The Home Office also announced a targeted programme on the Tackling Gangs Action Programme model, working with police forces and local authority partners to tackle knife crime. 2 million has been allocated to support police partnerships in specific areas, including the West Midlands, which will include:
	Increased use of searches, in targeted and intelligence-led operations, to complement the 100 new portable knife arches and 350 search wands brought in over the last three months.
	Fast-tracking the 'knife referral project' in which all young people convicted of a knife offence but not receiving a custodial sentence attend a course to bring home the consequences of knife crime
	Home visits and letters to parents of those young people whom intelligence suggests are known to carry weapons.
	We are ensuring that the police have access to detection equipment through the provision of an additional 100 search arches and 400 search 'wands' this year, and we will provide additional equipment beyond this according to need.
	We are working with the Youth Justice Board to ensure that young people convicted of knife offences receive focused interventions to change their behaviour and prevent them from reoffending.
	In addition to focused local action, we launched on 29 May a knife marketing campaign investing 3 million over three years aimed at reducing youth knife possession. Developed by young people, the message It doesn't have to happen is being conveyed through posters, radio ads, viral video sharing and social networking sites. The campaign also focuses on engaging with mothers to encourage them to talk to their children about the dangers of carrying knives.

Police: Public Appointments

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will assess the adequacy of the advice given by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to police authority appointment panels for senior police posts.

Tony McNulty: The role of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary in the appointment process is a consultative one and they will provide advice to the police authority on the candidates as well as assessing candidates. They are selected for their experience in policing, are independent and report to the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, who in turn reports to me and my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.

Police: South Yorkshire

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many uniformed and plain clothes police officers in all categories were in service in South Yorkshire at 1 January  (a) 1979,  (b) 1997 and  (c) 2008.

Tony McNulty: The requested information is not collected centrally in Police Personnel Statistics. Total police strength are available as at 31 March on an annual basis and are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Police officer strength (FTE)( 1)  for South Yorkshire 
			  31 March( 2)  South Yorkshire police force 
			 1979 2,546 
			 1997 3,159 
			 2007 3,254 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. All officers less staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave (comparable with previously published figures).  (2) Annual figures are collected by financial year and given as at the last day of the year, 31 March. Data for 2008 will be published on 22 July 2008.

Pornography: Internet

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of the increase in the number of internet service providers using filters to prevent access to child sexual abuse images.

Vernon Coaker: The Government understand that 95 per cent. of consumer broadband connections are covered by blocking mechanisms that use the IWF list. Since 2004, blocking of these sites on consumer broadband in the UK has gone from nothing to 95 per cent. thanks to the work carried out by industry and the IWF.
	The IWF processed more reports in 2007 than in 2006; however fewer reports were confirmed to contain child sexual abuse content which may be an indicator of the effectiveness of the voluntary blocking arrangements put in place by many UK service providers. The blocking initiative is designed to reduce the occasions when innocent internet users might accidentally be exposed to traumatic and unlawful images, diminish the re-victimisation of children by restricting opportunities to view their sexual abuse and disrupt the accessibility and supply of such content to those who may seek out such images.

Pornography: Internet

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further steps she plans to take to prevent producers of child sexual abuse images from hopping servers.

Vernon Coaker: The Government encourage people who are inadvertently exposed to child abuse images to report the URL to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). Ninety-five per cent, of consumer broadband connections are now covered by blocking, based on the IWF's list of known child sexual abuse URLs. Since 2004, blocking of these sites on consumer broadband in the UK has gone from nothing to 95 per cent. thanks to the work carried out by industry and the IWF. The number of sites hosted in the UK, potentially containing child abuse images is less 0.4 per cent., down from 18 per cent. in 1997.
	There are difficulties in removing sites which originate outside of the UK's jurisdiction. The IWF 2007 annual report shows the longevity of some child sexual abuse sites and how they avoid detection by moving servers. This is a challenge for law enforcement because these sites hop between jurisdictions to avoid being closed down.
	This issue might be taken up by the new UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS).

Prostitution: Young People

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of teenage prostitutes in  (a) Leicester and  (b) England (i) in the last 12 months and (ii) in the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: Statutory guidance issued in 2000 on safeguarding children involved in prostitution stated that all Local Safeguarding Children Boards should make arrangements to actively enquire into the extent to which children are involved in prostitution within their local area. This information is not collated centrally. However, research commissioned by the Department of Health in 2002 found that children were known to suffer this form of abuse in 111 of the then 146 Area Child Protection Committee districts, with an average of 19 girls and three boys in each area.

Security Industry Authority

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how regularly the Security Industry Authority meets representatives of the industry to discuss the regulator's performance of its statutory duties.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 12 June 2008
	As part of its stakeholder engagement strategy, the SIA meets regularly with the private security industry. In addition, the SIA communicates to the industry through a variety of means which include meetings, conferences and the trade press. The chief executive of the SIA wrote directly to the industry on 3 March and 15 April 2008 to provide an update on performance, to report improvements that have been made to the licensing system, and outline what level of service can be expected from the SIA.
	A copy of the SIA stakeholder engagement strategy can be found at:
	http://www.the-sia.org.uk/home/about_sia/stakeholder.htm

Security: Members

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will seek advice from  (a) the police and  (b) other security agencies on the implications for hon. Members' safety of publication of their home addresses in accessible form.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 6 June 2008
	The Home Office maintains an ongoing dialogue with the police and the security agencies in relation to the safety and security of public figures, including any matters that could affect Members of Parliament as individuals or as a group.

Television

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on  (a) commissioning and  (b) funding the production of television programmes (i) in each of the last three years and (ii) in 2008-09 to date; what programmes these were; and which companies made them.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 11 June 2008
	In the last three years the Home Office has funded or part-funded the production of three television programmes outlined as follows:
	Beat: Life on the Street focused on the work and role of police community support officers. It aired in the autumn of 2006. The Home Office spent 400,000 for the production of this series in the 2006-07 financial year. The series was made by Two Four Television. There was no commissioning cost.
	A second series of Beat: Life on the Street was aired in January 2008. The Home Office spent 00,000 for the production of this series in the 2007-08 financial year. The series was made by Two Four Television. There was no commissioning cost.
	A series about the work of front line officers from the UK Border Agency is currently in the final production stages. The Home Office spent 400,000 from its budget for 2007-08. The series is made by Steadfast Television. There is no commissioning cost.
	To date in this financial year 2008-09 there has been no further spend.

Terrorism: Detainees

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been detained pre-charge under counter-terrorism measures for  (a) up to three,  (b) four to six,  (c) seven to nine,  (d) 10 to 12,  (e) 13 to 15,  (f) 16 to 18,  (g) 19 to 21,  (h) 22 to 24 and  ( i ) 25 to 28 days; and of those detained which were charged, and for what offence, in those cases in which no legal proceedings are ongoing.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 7 May 2008
	Information on the number of individuals held in pre-charge detention under terrorism legislation is not broken down for the specific periods requested.
	The following table, compiled from police records, provides statistics on the number of people held in pre-charge detention over 14 days and up to 28 days and the outcome.
	
		
			  Pre-charge detention 
			  Period of detention  Number of persons held  Charged  Released without charge 
			 14-15 days 1 1  
			 18-19 days 1 1  
			 19-20 days 3 3  
			 27-28 days 6 3 3 
		
	
	The maximum period of detention pre-charge was extended to 28 days with effect from 25 July 2006.
	To date, 11 individuals have been held for over 14 days pre-charge detention. Of these 11, eight people were charged as detailed as follows:
	Six were charged following in Operation Overt, the disruption of an alleged plot to blow up an aircraft; one individual was charged following a counter terrorist operation led by Greater Manchester police and one individual was charged following his arrest in relation to the London and Glasgow incidents.
	The length of pre-charge detention and resultant charges is as follows:
	 14-15 days
	One individual charged with having information about an act of terrorism (section 38B, Terrorism Act 2000). This case was subsequently dismissed by a judge due to insufficient evidence.
	 18-19 days
	One individual charged with conspiracy to cause explosions (section 3 (1a), the Explosives Substances Act 1883).
	 19-20 days
	Three individuals charged with conspiracy to murder (section 1 (1), Criminal Law Act 1977) and Preparation of Terrorist Acts (section 5, Terrorism Act 2006). The latter charge has subsequently been amended by the Crown Prosecution Service for two of the individuals to a charge of conspiracy to commit an act of violence likely to endanger the safety of an aircraft (section 1(1), Criminal Law Act 1977).
	 27-28 days
	One individual charged with preparation of terrorist Acts (section 5, Terrorism Act 2006).
	One individual charged with preparation of terrorist Acts (section 5, Terrorism Act 2006), possession of a prohibited weapon (section 5(1), Firearms Act 1968), possession of ammunition (section 1 (1b), Firearms Act 1968), possession of a silencer without a firearms licence (section 1 (1b), Firearms Act 1968). The charge of preparation of terrorist Acts for the second individual was subsequently amended by the Crown Prosecution Service to a charge of conspiracy to commit an act of violence likely to endanger the safety of an aircraft (section 1(1), Criminal Law Act 1977).
	One individual charged with attending a place for instruction or training in terrorism (section 8, Terrorism Act 2006) and collection of information (section 58 (1) (a), Terrorism Act 2000).

Terrorism: Detainees

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been detained on suspicion of terrorist or related offences but were released by the police or security services because they were not able to compile enough evidence to charge them within the 28-day period allowed for detention without charge within the Metropolitan Police Authority in the last two years.

Tony McNulty: To date, 11 individuals have been held for over 14 days pre-charge detention, six individuals were held for the maximum 27-28 days, of which three individuals were charged, and three individuals were released without charge.
	Nine out of the 11 individuals were arrested in August 2006, following Operation Overt the disruption of an alleged plot to target aircraft. This led to six individuals being charged, and three were released, one individual was charged on the 27-28 day of detention following his arrest in a counter terrorist operation led by Greater Manchester Police in August 2006. One individual was charged on the 18-19 day of detention following his arrest in relation to the incidents in London and Glasgow in June-July 2007.
	
		
			  Period of detention  Number of persons held  Charged  Released without charge 
			 14-15 days 1 1  
			 18 -19 days 1 1  
			 19-20 days 3 3  
			 27-28 days 6 3 3

Terrorism: Detainees

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the evidential basis is for her proposals that detention of terrorist suspects for a maximum of 42 days before charge is necessary; and what discussions she has had with  (a) police forces,  (b) the Crown Prosecution Service and  (c) the security services in determining the number of days.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 10 June 2008
	We set out our case for our proposal in a letter to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 6 December 2007. This can be found at:
	http://security.homeoffice.gov.uk/news-publications/publication-search/general/pre-charge-detention/.
	Given the scale and trend for increasingly large and complex cases we believe there may be a need to go beyond 28 days in future. The Government are determined to give the police the powers they need to tackle terrorism. That is why it is right and proper to legislate now to put in place the reserve power to extend pre-charge detention beyond 28 days if in future there is a grave exceptional terrorist threat. We have consulted widely on all of the proposals in the Counter-Terrorism Bill, including pre-charge detention, and this is an approach which has been widely welcomed. This has included discussions with the police, CPS and the intelligence and security agencies.

Terrorism: Detainees

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suspects arrested under anti-terrorism legislation have been released without charge at the end of the maximum pre-charge detention period because there was not sufficient evidence to bring charges in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 10 June 2008
	To date, 11 individuals have been held for over 14 days pre-charge detention, six individuals were held for the maximum 27-28 days, of which three individuals were charged, and three individuals were released without charge.
	Nine out of the 11 individuals were arrested in August 2006, following Operation Overt the disruption of an alleged plot to target aircraft. This led to six individuals being charged, and three were released, one individual was charged on the 27-28 day of detention following his arrest in a counter terrorist operation led by Greater Manchester police in August 2006. One individual was charged on the 18-19 day of detention following his arrest in relation to the incidents in London and Glasgow in June and July 2007.
	
		
			  Period of detention  Number of persons held  Charged  Released w/o charge 
			 14-15 days 1 1  
			 18 -19 days 1 1  
			 19-20 days 3 3  
			 27-28 days 6 3 3

Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received on the effect of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 on the ability of traditional folk dancers to  (a) buy and  (b) use swords as part of their dances; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Government have received correspondence from traditional folklore dancers about the impact of the Government's ban on the sale, hire, import and manufacture of curved swords implemented in April 2008. The ban targets cheaply available curved swords used in violent crime but includes defences for legitimate uses including sporting activities, historical re-enactments and theatrical performances.

Welsh Language

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the level of demand for the services provided by  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental bodies to be provided in the Welsh language; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office Welsh language scheme came into effect in January 2002 and is in the process of being revised. Although no recent assessment has been made of the level of demand for the service the Department does abide by the principles of the Welsh Language Act 1993 and seeks to ensure that it makes Welsh language versions of published materials available whenever appropriate.

Written Questions

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when she expects to reply to the hon. Member for Ashford as referred to in the answer of 30 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1284W, on Members: Written Questions;
	(2)  with reference to the answers of 30 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 1284-85W, on Muktar Ibrahim, when she will write to the hon. Member for Ashford.

Liam Byrne: h olding answers 29 November 2007 and 14 January 2008
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 11 June 2008.

TREASURY

Child Tax Credit: Repayments

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will investigate the case of Veronika Ellis-Stockley of Churchdown, Gloucester and demands made on her by the Child Tax Credit Department for repayment of money.

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs wrote to the hon. Member's constituent on 13 February 2008 and 29 April 2008. I have asked HMRC to investigate this case and will write to him shortly with a detailed explanation.

Consolidated Fund: Fines

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue the Consolidated Fund has received in the last financial year from fines paid  (a) to public sector bodies and  (b) by public sector bodies.

Kitty Ussher: This information is not held by the Consolidated Fund.

Departmental Manpower

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff of each  (a) sex and  (b) grade were employed by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies in Southend-on-Sea in each year since 2001.

Jane Kennedy: The Treasury has no staff employed in Southend-on-Sea.
	
		
			  HMRC staff employed in Southend-on-Sea at 1 April 2001 to 1 April 2008 
			  2001 
			  Grade  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 1 8 9 
			 Grade 6 2 13 15 
			 Grade 7 11 37 48 
			 Fast Stream 0 0 0 
			 Senior Officer 62 177 239 
			 Higher Officer 204 276 480 
			 Officer 319 205 524 
			 Assistant Officer 391 121 512 
			 Admin Assistant 387 192 579 
			 Total 1,377 1,029 2,406 
		
	
	
		
			  200 2 
			  Grade  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 1 6 7 
			 Grade 6 3 15 18 
			 Grade 7 11 36 47 
			 Fast Stream 0 0 0 
			 Senior Officer 80 199 279 
			 Higher Officer 241 274 515 
			 Officer 335 213 548 
			 Assistant Officer 423 135 558 
			 Admin Assistant 350 197 547 
			 Total 1,444 1,075 2,519 
		
	
	
		
			  200 3 
			  Grade  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 1 6 7 
			 Grade 6 3 15 18 
			 Grade 7 13 40 53 
			 Fast Stream 2 0 2 
			 Senior Officer 94 201 295 
			 Higher Officer 236 264 500 
			 Officer 363 224 587 
			 Assistant Officer 418 159 577 
			 Admin Assistant 300 190 490 
			 Total 1,430 1,099 2,529 
		
	
	
		
			  200 4 
			  Grade  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 1 4 5 
			 Grade 6 5 11 16 
			 Grade 7 15 40 55 
			 Fast Stream 0 1 1 
			 Senior Officer 115 226 341 
			 Higher Officer 237 265 502 
			 Officer 346 197 543 
			 Assistant Officer 418 166 584 
			 Admin Assistant 289 '167 456 
			 Total 1,426 1,077 2,503 
		
	
	
		
			  200 5 
			  Grade  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 1 3 4 
			 Grade 6 6 11 17 
			 Grade 7 15 32 47 
			 Fast Stream 0 1 1 
			 Senior Officer 125 222 347 
			 Higher Officer 246 270 516 
			 Officer 338 180 518 
			 Assistant Officer 408 165 573 
			 Admin Assistant 288 165 453 
			 Total 1,427 1,049 2,476 
		
	
	
		
			  200 6 
			  Grade  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 1 2 3 
			 Grade 6 5 9 14 
			 Grade 7 15 22 37 
			 Fast Stream 0 6 6 
			 Senior Officer 109 190 299 
			 Higher Officer 237 245 482 
			 Officer 313 169 482 
			 Assistant Officer 369 155 524 
			 Admin Assistant 247 133 380 
			 Total 1,296 931 2,227 
		
	
	
		
			  200 7 
			  Grade  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 1 2 3 
			 Grade 6 7 8 15 
			 Grade 7 16 23 39 
			 Fast Stream 1 5 6 
			 Senior Officer 90 169 259 
			 Higher Officer 220 233 453 
			 Officer 322 171 493 
			 Assistant Officer 343 128 471 
			 Admin Assistant 213 111 324 
			 Total 1,213 850 2,063 
		
	
	
		
			  200 8 
			  Grade  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 1 1 2 
			 Grade 6 5 9 14 
			 Grade 7 15 24 39 
			 Fast Stream 1 5 6 
			 Senior Officer 93 163 256 
			 Higher Officer 205 220 425 
			 Officer 300 160 460 
			 Assistant Officer 321 123 444 
			 Admin Assistant 205 108 313 
			 Total 1,146 813 1,959

Insurance

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to respond to the Competition Commission's report of 5 June 2008 on payment protection insurance.

Kitty Ussher: The Government are not planning to respond to the Competition Commission's report of 5 June 2008 on payment protection insurance as it is a provisional findings report. The statutory deadline for the full report is 6 February 2009.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason he has not set aside an unallocated special reserve to meet the costs of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the UK's other international obligations in 2008-09; and what allowance has been made for expenditure to meet those commitments.

Yvette Cooper: The cost of military operations in 2008-09, as in previous years, will be met from the Reserves. The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced to Parliament in his 2008 Budget speech that expected spend on military operations this year will be over 2 billion. Costs and provision will be reviewed for the pre-Budget report and the Ministry of Defence will seek provision as usual for the full expected net costs of military operations in Winter Supplementary Estimates.

Members: Correspondence

Robert Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the longest time taken by his Department to answer a letter from an hon. Member was in each of the last three years.

Angela Eagle: This information is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Members: Correspondence

Robert Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what target his Department sets for the maximum time to respond to letters from hon. Members; what proportion of responses met the target in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the average time taken to respond to a letter from hon. Members in that period was.

Angela Eagle: HM Treasury does not have a maximum time to respond to hon. Members but aims to reply to all correspondence within 15 working days of receipt. For the calendar year 2007, 84 per cent. of replies were sent to hon. Members within target at an average of 17 working days.

Public Expenditure

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish his Department's report on the operation of the Barnett formula.

Yvette Cooper: No decision has been made yet on the date of publication.

Public Expenditure: Essex

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent from the public purse in Tendring district by  (a) Government Departments,  (b) agencies,  (c) local authorities,  (d) public services and  (e) other statutory bodies in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: Revenue and capital expenditure (net of capital receipts) by Tendring district council for the years 2002-03 to 2006-07 is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   000 
			 2002-03 16,929 
			 2003-04 18,306 
			 2004-05 21,851 
			 2005-06 23,148 
			 2006-07 22,533 
			  Source: Communities and Local Government Capital Outturn (COR4) and Revenue Outturn (RO) returns. 
		
	
	The lowest level at which other public expenditure information is available is the region. Total identifiable expenditure on services in the East of England can be found in the Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis 2008 (HC 489). Please see the following link for an electronic copy of PESA 2008.
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/A/7/pesa0809_chap09. pdf

Revenue and Customs: Closures

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reconsider the decision to close HM Revenue and Customs offices Portcullis House and Tyler's House in Southend-on-Sea; what recent representations he has received about the closures; what response he made to them; if he will place in the Library copies of the representations received; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is committed to increasing the efficiency of its operations in the interests of improved customer service and better value for taxpayers. It undertook extensive internal and external consultation, and detailed feasibility work, last year on its proposals for reducing its estate in the Southend urban centre to meet its future business needs in the area. The decision was taken last July that there was no requirement to retain either Portcullis House or Tyler's House, as all the staff who would be needed in Southend by 2010 could be accommodated in Alexander House, Southend.
	The latest staffing projections for Southend, which take account of further developments in business plans, indicate that slightly fewer staff than in 2010 will be needed by 2011. There is therefore no reason to disturb the original decision that Portcullis House and Tyler's House will be surplus to HMRC's future business requirements.

Revenue and Customs: Closures

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had on the closure of HM Revenue and Customs offices Portcullis House and Tyler's House in Southend-on Sea; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: As the Minister with departmental responsibility for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), I hold regular discussions with HMRC officials about their estate rationalisation plans.

Revenue and Customs: Job Satisfaction

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of levels of job satisfaction of HM Revenue and Customs staff employed in Southend-on-Sea in each year since 1997; what assessment he has made of trends in such levels; if he will place in the Library copies of such assessments; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs conduct a staff survey twice yearly covering 20,000 to 30,000 staff. The most recent results are published on the Department's external website and are available for viewing. Information is not available on a location specific basis but results are analysed by business stream.
	HMRC is committed to taking action to build on the positive responses in the survey and address the areas where improvement is needed.

Revenue and Customs: Manpower

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff of each  (a) sex and  (b) grade were employed at HM Revenue and Customs offices Portcullis House and Tyler's House in Southend-on-Sea in each year since 2001.

Jane Kennedy: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  HMRC staff in Portcullis House and Tyler House at 1 April 2001 to 1 April 2008 
			  2001 
			   Portcullis House  Tyler House 
			  Grade  Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 1 4 5 0 0 0 
			 Grade 6 0 3 3 1 3 4 
			 Grade 7 3 9 12 4 5 9 
			 Fast Stream 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Senior Officer 15 38 53 3 7 10 
			 Higher Officer 36 54 90 14 14 28 
			 Officer 42 25 67 30 13 43 
			 Assistant Officer 26 10 36 47 25 72 
			 Admin Assistant 5 2 7 36 8 44 
			 Total 128 145 273 135 75 210 
		
	
	
		
			  2002 
			   Portcullis House  Tyler House 
			   Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 1 2 3 0 0 0 
			 Grade 6 1 2 3 1 3 4 
			 Grade 7 2 5 7 5 6 11 
			 Fast Stream 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Senior Officer 18 34 52 2 5 7 
			 Higher Officer 44 49 93 15 14 29 
			 Officer 42 19 61 39 23 62 
			 Assistant Officer 20 14 34 58 21 79 
			 Admin Assistant 3 0 3 40 17 57 
			 Total 131 125 256 160 89 249 
		
	
	
		
			  2003 
			   Portcullis House  Tyler House 
			   Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 1 2 3 0 0 0 
			 Grade 6 1 2 3 1 3 4 
			 Grade 7 3 7 10 4 5 9 
			 Fast Stream 2 0 2 0 0 0 
			 Senior Officer 22 34 56 4 5 9 
			 Higher Officer 45 50 95 18 13 31 
			 Officer 45 17 62 43 30 73 
			 Assistant Officer 28 13 41 54 28 82 
			 Admin Assistant 2 2 4 47 14 61 
			 Total 149 127 276 171 98 269 
		
	
	
		
			  2004 
			   Portcullis House  Tyler House 
			   Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 0 2 2 0 0 0 
			 Grade 6 1 3 4 2 2 4 
			 Grade 7 4 7 11 3 5 8 
			 Fast Stream 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Senior Officer 23 36 59 4 5 9 
			 Higher Officer 49 52 101 18 14 32 
			 Officer 38 18 56 47 29 76 
			 Assistant Officer 31 15 46 55 27 82 
			 Admin Assistant 3 0 3 46 14 60 
			 Total 149 133 282 175 96 271 
		
	
	
		
			  2004 
			   Portcullis House  Tyler House 
			  Grade  Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 0 2 2 0 0 0 
			 Grade 6 1 3 4 2 2 4 
			 Grade 7 4 7 11 3 5 8 
			 Fast Stream 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Senior Officer 23 36 59 4 5 9 
			 Higher Officer 49 52 101 18 14 32 
			 Officer 38 18 56 47 29 76 
			 Assistant Officer 31 15 46 55 27 82 
			 Admin Assistant 3 0 3 46 14 60 
			 Total 149 133 282 175 96 271 
		
	
	
		
			  2005 
			   Portcullis House  Tyler House 
			  Grade  Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 0 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Grade 6 1 2 3 3 2 5 
			 Grade 7 4 6 10 5 3 8 
			 Fast Stream 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Senior Officer 26 46 72 3 5 8 
			 Higher Officer 55 56 111 14 17 31 
			 Officer 35 18 53 49 30 79 
			 Assistant Officer 37 19 56 54 31 85 
			 Admin Assistant 3 0 3 53 19 72 
			 Total 161 148 309 181 107 288 
		
	
	
		
			  2006 
			   Portcullis House  Tyler House 
			  Grade  Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Grade 6 0 3 3 3 2 5 
			 Grade 7 5 6 11 5 1 6 
			 Fast Stream 0 0 0 0 5 5 
			 Senior Officer 25 37 62 3 4 7 
			 Higher Officer 60 50 110 14 13 27 
			 Officer 37 18 55 47 26 73 
			 Assistant Officer 30 18 48 49 26 75 
			 Admin Assistant 1 0 1 46 12 58 
			 Total 158 132 290 167 89 256 
		
	
	
		
			  2007 
			   Portcullis House  Tyler House 
			  Grade  Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Grade 6 1 2 3 3 1 4 
			 Grade 7 4 5 9 4 2 6 
			 Fast Stream 0 0 0 0 5 5 
			 Senior Officer 18 32 50 1 4 5 
			 Higher Officer 57 49 106 14 12 26 
			 Officer 41 16 57 44 24 68 
			 Assistant Officer 27 16 43 45 25 70 
			 Admin Assistant 3 0 3 40 9 49 
			 Total 151 120 271 151 82 233 
		
	
	
		
			  2008 
			   Portcullis House  Tyler House 
			  Grade  Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total 
			 SCS 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Grade 6 0 2 2 2 1 3 
			 Grade 7 3 8 11 4 2 6 
			 Fast Stream 0 0 0 0 5 5 
			 Senior Officer 23 25 48 1 4 5 
			 Higher Officer 52 47 99 14 11 25 
			 Officer 41 15 56 39 22 61 
			 Assistant Officer 25 17 42 43 24 67 
			 Admin Assistant 4 0 4 40 8 48 
			 Total 148 114 262 143 77 220

Revenue and Customs: Redundancy

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many redundancies of staff at each grade are expected to result from the closure of HM Revenue and Customs offices Portcullis House and Tyler's House in Southend-on-Sea; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: At present there are no plans to make any redundancies at these sites. HMRC is committed to avoiding redundancies wherever possible and to helping staff find alternative posts either within the Department or elsewhere. A number of measures have been introduced to facilitate this and there has been a programme of consultation with staff in order to keep them informed of progress in their business area.

Revenue and Customs: Redundancy

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff employed by HM Revenue and Customs offices in Southend-on-Sea will be made  (a) voluntarily and  (b) compulsorily redundant; at what cost; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: At present there are no plans for redundancy at these sites. HMRC is committed to avoiding redundancies (voluntary or compulsory) wherever possible and to helping staff find alternative posts either within the Department or elsewhere.

Revenue and Customs: Resignations

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials of each grade have voluntarily ceased employment, other than through redundancy, in HM Revenue and Customs offices in Southend-on-Sea since June 2007.

Jane Kennedy: The number of staff who voluntarily ceased employment from 1 June 2007 to 1 June 2008 is as follows:
	
		
			  Grade  Total 
			 Administrative Assistant 15 
			 Assistant Officer 20 
			 Officer 12 
			 Higher Officer 10 
			 Senior Officer 6 
			 Grand Total 63

Revenue and Customs: Visits Abroad

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 971-72W, on Revenue and Customs: visits abroad, if he will place in the Library a copy of the full itinerary for the visit to  (a) New Zealand and  (b) Australia.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC and HMT staff working on tax credits visited Australia and New Zealand early in 2008. During the course of the visit, officials met with a range of Government organisations responsible for the policy and operational delivery of tax credits systems in those countries, as well as representatives from the voluntary sector.

Stamp Duty Land Tax: Scotland

David Mundell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many property sales in Scotland had stamp duty levied upon them at the one per cent. rate in the latest year for which figures are available.

Kitty Ussher: There were estimated to be 53,000 property sales in Scotland with stamp duty land tax levied at the 1 per cent. rate in 2006-07. An estimate for 2007-08 will be available from the end of September.

Taxation: Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2008,  Official Report, column 971W, on taxation: trade unions 
	(1)  whether the political levy element of the subscription fee to the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), for members who have not opted out of the political fund of the trade union, is eligible for tax relief under the Section 344 scheme;
	(2)  whether the entire trade union subscription for members of the National Union of Teachers is eligible for tax relief under the Section 344 scheme.

Jane Kennedy: Tax relief under section 344 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 may be restricted if only a proportion of the activities of the body are directed to helping members maintain or enhance their ability to perform the duties of their employment. For example, if part of the income received as annual subscriptions from members is directed to a political fund then that will be a factor taken into account in determining what part of the annual subscription may be deducted.
	Only two-thirds of the annual subscription fees paid for membership of the NASUWT and the NUT are eligible for tax relief to exclude the proportion of the fee relating to activities that are not directed to qualifying activities.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Allotments

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on the provision of allotments.

Iain Wright: In liaison with the Department, the Local Government Association revised a good practice guide, Growing in the Community, in March 2008. This includes a section on allotment provision. A free copy was sent to all local authorities.
	The provision of allotments is the responsibility of local authorities. Section 23 of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 places a duty on local authorities (except for inner London boroughs) to provide allotments where they perceive a demand for them in their area. Furthermore, Planning Policy Guidance Note 17: Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation, 2002 requires local authorities to make provision for all types of open space and requires them to undertake robust assessments of local needs and audits of existing open space, to establish standards for new provision. By implementing the guidance in PPG 17, local authorities should make adequate provision for allotments.

Council Housing

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local management agreements have been taken up since their introduction.

Iain Wright: Proposals for local management agreements (LMAs) were included in the Tenant Empowerment Consultation document published last June but as yet there has not been any formal introduction of LMAs by the Department. Some local authorities may already have such agreements in place, but this is not something collected by the Department.

Council Housing: Finance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the historic debt outstanding against council house construction was in  (a) cash terms and  (b) as a proportion of the public sector borrowing requirement in each year since 1990; and what projections her Department has made for these figures in the future, including borrowing supported by arm's length management organisations.

Iain Wright: The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) capital financing requirement (CFR) is a measure of HRA debt. It is a stock which is rolled forward each year to take account of new borrowing for HRA purposes. The HRA CFR from 1992-93 to 2007-08 is set out in the following table. We cannot differentiate the purpose for which the debt was taken out.
	The HRA CFR increases by the value of new borrowing every year and decreases by the value of principal repaid every year. The decline in HRA debt, from 1994-95 to 2004-05, shows that local authorities have been repaying more debt than they have been taking out. We would expect to see this as until 2004-05 local authorities were compelled to set-aside money to repay debt and this was taken into consideration in the calculation of their HRA debt level, and hence a reduction in the percentages of housing revenue account capital financing charge as public sector net debt.
	Public sector net debt (PSND) is the main measure of national debt used in the Government's fiscal policy framework. PSND records financial liabilities issued by the public sector less its holdings of liquid financial assets. Public sector includes central Government, local government and public corporations.
	
		
			   PSND ()  HRA debt ()  HRA debt/PSND (percentage) 
			 1992-93 202,600,000,000 20,039,091,106 9.89 
			 1993-94 249,800,000,000 20,386,546,784 8.16 
			 1994-95 290,000,000,000 20,818,339,121 7.18 
			 1995-96 322,100,000,000 20,648,130,105 6.41 
			 1996-97 348,000,000,000 20,212,328,553 5.81 
			 1997-98 352,900,000,000 19,708,079,143 5.58 
			 1998-99 351,600,000,000 19,029,932,961 5.41 
			 1999-2000 345,400,000,000 18,487,181,937 5.35 
			 2000-01 312,400,000,000 17,606,728,155 5.64 
			 2001-02 315,500,000,000 17,592,048,166 5.58 
			 2002-03 347,100,000,000 16,425,428,521 4.73 
			 2003-04 382,800,000,000 14,009,766,512 3.66 
			 2004-05 423,600,000,000 12,889,346,585 3.04 
			 2005-06 463,000,000,000 13,307,369,486 2.87 
			 2006-07 499,500,000,000 14,519,552,650 2.91 
			 2007-08 527,700,000,000 15,480,866,859 2.93 
			  Notes:  1. No distinction is drawn between debt for new construction and debt for refurbishment. They are all included in the overall figures.  2. From 2001-02 onwards the Department did not collect data on local authority borrowing for spending on their council housing from those authorities with no notional housing debt (used in calculating HRA subsidy entitlement). 
		
	
	Projections of future borrowing are budget allocations for the spending review period 2008-11 and are in the following table:
	
		
			   
			   LA SCE(R) for spend on LA stock  Additional LA borrowing for ALMOs 
			 2008-09 272,418,000 809,000,000 
			 2009-10 269,190,000 809,000,000 
			 2010-11 258,755,000 759,000,000 
			  Note:  1. The forecast figures for 2008-09 to 2010-11 reflect the estimated level of supported capital expenditure (revenue) and additional LA borrowing for ALMOs to be supported by DCLG, rather than any actual level of borrowing that authorities may enter into. How much actual future debt each individual local authority holds will be a Treasury management decision for that authority.

Departmental Postal Services

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department spent on sending mail overseas in each year since 2001, broken down by delivery company.

Parmjit Dhanda: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Angus (Mr. Weir) on 26 October 2006,  Official Report, column 2042W.
	As a result of the low levels of activity, the Department for Communities and Local Government does not routinely record international mail costs separately from inland mail. Upon investigation we have identified a spend of 399.99 between May 2007 and May 2008 for international mail and this is administered by Corporate Mailing Services (CMS), a private company which is used by MITIE Document Solutions. CMS is the trading name of Royale Research Ltd.

Departmental Public Participation

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many consultations her Department undertook in each of the last five years; and how many resulted in the non-preferred option being adopted.

Parmjit Dhanda: Over the past five calendar years to December 2007, Communities and Local Government and my predecessor Department undertook respectively:
	24 public consultations (ODPM 2003)
	53 public consultations (ODPM 2004)
	57 public consultations (ODPM 2005)
	34 public consultations ( Communities and Local Government 2006)
	48 public consultations (Communities and Local Government 2007)
	All of these consultations were launched in order to inform policy development, as a way of exposing preliminary policy analysis to public scrutiny. Consultation is one of a number of mechanisms by which Government seek to listen to as wide a range of opinion as possible before making a final decision. Information on the non-preferred options is not collected, and this could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Equality

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to establish a strategy to tackle age discrimination and promote age equality in the provision of goods and services  (a) by her Department and  (b) within the sectors for which she has policy responsibility; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: I will consider the case for a strategy on age discrimination and the promotion of age equality in the light of the Government's response to the consultation exercise A Framework for Fairness.
	Meanwhile I can assure the hon. Member that we are aware of the needs of older people and take them very seriously. Since 2000, our Warm Front programme has helped around 800,000 older households to improve heating and energy efficiency. The Supporting People programme, created in 2003, helps around 840,000 older people a year with housing support services. Working with other Departments and external partners we launched on 25 February this year Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods: A National Strategy for Housing in an Ageing Society. This is a major new housing strategy giving older people greater choice and addressing the challenges and opportunities of an ageing population.

European Union Solidarity Fund

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when local authorities will receive the funds allocated from the EU Solidarity Fund to help with flood recovery; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The Government were able to set up a Restoration Fund of 30.6 million for English local authorities affected by last summer's floods to support their continued efforts to rebuild their communities, following our successful bid to the European Union Solidarity Fund. This money is on top of up to 88 million already made available to flood-hit areas to help them get back on their feet.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government has consulted local authorities on how to allocate the Restoration Fund. Local authorities are currently being asked to supply data on the costs they have incurred.
	It is my intention to make announcements on funding allocations before the parliamentary summer recess.

Fire Services: Death

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many firefighters died in the course of their duties in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available, broken down by fire authority.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Firefighter deaths while on duty, England 1998-99 to 2007-08 
			   1998-99  1999- 20 00  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Fire and Rescue Service   
			 Avon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Royal Berkshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Buckinghamshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cornwall 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Devon 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 County Durham and Darlington 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Sussex(1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Essex 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hampshire 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hereford and Worcester 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Isle of Wight 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 London 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northumberland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Oxfordshire 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Shropshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Somerset 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Surrey 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Tyne and Wear 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Warwickshire(2) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Sussex 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total England 2 4 3 1 3 1 4 0 2 5 
			 (1 )2006-07 figure excludes one retired firefighter who died while attending a fire.  (2) 2002-03 figure excludes one firefighter who died attending a fire, while off duty.   Source:  Communities and Local Government.

Housing: Construction

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect of the downturn in the housing market on the number of planning applications for substantive new housing developments.

Iain Wright: No specific assessment has been made, but the Department does publish a quarterly National Statistics release on planning applications, decisions, enforcement activity, minerals and waste planning decisions at England, regional and local authority levels. The latest release published on 28 March 2008 can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningand building/pdf/732759.pdf

Housing: Construction

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new residential dwelling starts were made in England in each quarter since the first quarter of 2007.

Iain Wright: The following table shows residential dwelling starts in England since the first quarter of 2007.
	
		
			  Quarter  Residential dwelling starts 
			 Q1 2007 43,655 
			 Q2 2007 43,050 
			 Q3 2007 42,229 
			 Q4 2007 38,134 
			 Q1 2008 33,024 
			  Source: P2Q returns from local authorities and National House Building Council

Housing: Planning Permission

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the removal of permitted development rights for householders to pave over their front gardens will require secondary legislation or revised guidance.

Iain Wright: Current permitted development rights that allow householders to pave over their front gardens will be amended so as to require that the paving will not lead to the front garden area being impermeable. This will be achieved through an amendment to The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. We intend this change to come into force on 1 October this year and we will publish guidance to explain how householders can comply with this requirement.

Housing: Planning Permission

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications were submitted for a change of use from a private garden to a residential property in each of the last five years; and how many of these applications were successful in each year.

Iain Wright: The information requested is not held centrally. Communities and Local Government collects quarterly aggregate statistics on development control from all local planning authorities in England. However, we do not collect information on individual planning applications.

Housing: Regeneration

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she and the Minister for Housing have had with the existing homes alliance on refurbishment and retrofitting of existing housing stock.

Iain Wright: Ministers have not yet had direct discussions with the Existing Homes Alliance (EHA). We welcome discussions with stakeholders, such as the EHA, in tackling the vital issue of reducing the carbon footprint of the existing housing stock.

Housing: Standards

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her most recent assessment is of the progress on meeting targets for decent home standards by 2010.

Iain Wright: Our latest assessment of progress is set out in chapter 7 of the Department's annual report. Copies are available in the Library of the House. Overall based on what social landlords have told us in terms of delivery of decent homes stretching beyond 2010, the amount of money we expect to be spent and progress to date we expect that 95 per cent. of the stock will be decent by 2010.

Local Authorities: Tourism

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much local authorities spent on tourism in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how much local authorities spent on marketing and promoting tourism in each of the last five years.

John Healey: Information on how much local authorities in England have spent on tourism in each of the last five years is published in Annex C of Local Government Financial Statistics (LGFS) England. The 2002-03 information can be found in Table Cld LGFS No. 15: 2004, 2003-04 in Table Cle LGFS No. 16: 2005, 2004-05 and 2005-06 in Tables Cli and Clj respectively in LGFS No. 17: 2007 and 2006-07 in Table Cle LGFS No. 18:2008.
	These publications have been deposited in the Library of the House and are also available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/stats/index.hto
	Information on marketing and promoting tourism is not collected separately.

Non-domestic Rates

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hereditaments in  (a) Leeds West constituency and  (b) Leeds Metropolitan District received small business rate relief in each year since 2000.

John Healey: Leeds city council reported there were 6,226 businesses in their area in receipt of small business rate relief as at 31 December 2006, the only year for which this information is currently available. Corresponding information for the Leeds West constituency is not held centrally.

Railways

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department issues on whether members of staff may claim for travel in first class carriages on trains if there are no seats in standard class.

Parmjit Dhanda: All departmental staff may travel in first class carriages on trains where there are no seats available in standard class carriages. However, staff are asked only to travel if it is necessary and when official business cannot be settled by any other methods such as telephone or video conferencing.

Regional Planning and Development: Manpower

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff are employed  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time at (i) local, (ii) regional and (iii) national level to work on the implementation of the Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration; whether she plans to change these numbers before completion of the review; and whether the staff concerned will continue to be employed after completion.

John Healey: A number of staff in the Department contribute to the implementation of the Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration, including those working on regional planning, business rate supplements, local authority performance and local economic development.
	However, it is not possible, at reasonable cost, to disaggregate staff time spent specifically on the implementation of the review. Full details of my Department's expenditure in 2007-08 can be found in Annex B to its 2008 Annual Report: Community, Opportunity, Prosperity (Cm 3794). There has been no net increase in staffing as a result of the review and decisions on future staff needs will be taken in the context of wider business planning exercises.

Rented Housing

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research her Department has undertaken on the price of accommodation in the private rented sector since 2005.

Iain Wright: The Department ran the Survey of English Housing as a continuous household survey from 1993-94 to 2007-08. Information collected by this survey from private renting households included a range of characteristics such as rent paid, size of accommodation, tenancy type, whether household in receipt of housing benefit, and location. The results have been used extensively by policy users, academics and researchers to help inform research projects about the private rented sector.

Rented Housing: Antisocial Behaviour

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to provide more powers for police and local authorities in relation to private landlords whose tenants engage in persistent antisocial behaviour.

Iain Wright: The Housing Act 2004 introduced a range of powersboth mandatory and discretionaryto enable local housing authorities to both require and incentivise private sector landlords to improve the management of their stock, including tackling antisocial behaviour by tenants.
	In line with the commitment given to Parliament, we have commissioned a review of how these powers are working from the Buildings Research Establishment (BRE). The review will follow up on work carried out by BRE to map the position when the legislation was introduced.
	The independent review of the private rented sector led by Julie Rugg and David Rhodes at the university of York is also considering issues around the management of private rented stock.

Rented Housing: Bristol

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the average cost of private rented accommodation in the Bristol City Council area in each year since 2000 for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: The average cost of private rented accommodation is available, but only at a regional level. The Department's data source, the Survey of English Housing, does not have a large enough annual sample to generate reliable private rental estimates at local authority level.
	The recent trend in average rents for the Government office region of the south-west and for the whole of England is as follows:
	
		
			  Average monthly rent( 1 ) of free market( 2)  private tenancies ,  south  wes t region  and England, 1999-2000 to 2006-07 
			   per month 
			   South  W est  England 
			 1999-2000 to 2000-01 364 421 
			 2000-01 to 2001-02 396 460 
			 2001-02 to 2002-03 413 502 
			 2002-03 to 2003-04 419 518 
			 2003-04 to 2004-05 446 517 
			 2004-05 to 2005-06 469 534 
			 2005-06 to 2006-07 495 556 
			 (1) Before deduction of housing benefit where applicable (2) Assured shorthold tenancies accessible to the public without special conditions  Note: Sampling variability is too great to provide reliable regional estimates for individual years  Source: Survey of English Housing

Repossession Orders

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been repossessed in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The Department does not collect information on mortgage possessions although information for the United Kingdom as a whole, rather than regions or local authority areas, is published by the Council of Mortgage lenders. These data are available on its website at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/filegrab/3AP4.xls?ref=2753

Thames Gateway: Finance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  which  (a) councils and  (b) other organisations have bid for funds under the Thames Gateway Parklands programme;
	(2)  what proportion of funds to be distributed by Thames Gateway for its Parklands programme will be allocated to  (a) Castle Point constituency and  (b) Essex;
	(3)  what budgetary allocations have been made under the Thames Gateway Parklands programme; and what timetable has been set for the distribution of allocations.

Caroline Flint: The three sub-regional Thames Gateway Green Grid Partnerships have been invited to submit business plans by the 18 July to Communities and Local Government for projects which they would like to receive funding for from the Parklands budget of 35 million. The Department has not received any plans to date. Funding allocations will be made by the autumn.

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Regional Spatial Strategies are required to set targets for Traveller pitches.

Parmjit Dhanda: Local planning authorities are required to assess the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers in the same way that they assess the housing needs of other members of their local communities.
	Local planning authorities do this through Gypsy and Travellers Accommodation Assessments (GTAAs). The GTAAs inform the preparation of policies in the draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS).
	The RSS identifies the number of pitches required (but not the location); it is for local planning authorities to consider the location of the pitches required for their area, possibly in conjunction with neighbouring local planning authorities.

Waste Management: Energy

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effects on public health of new energy from waste developments.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	In 2004, my Department published an independent study on the health impacts from waste managementReview of Environmental and Health Effects of Waste Management: Municipal Solid Waste and Similar Wastes. The study was peer-reviewed by the Royal Society and concluded that the treatment, including the recovery of energy, from municipal solid waste,
	has at most a minor effect on health particularly when compared with other health risks associated with ordinary day-to-day living.
	In relation to incineration, it stated that,
	risks to human health from incineration are small in comparison with other known risks.
	This was supported in a more recent position statement by the Health Protection Agency on municipal waste incineration (November 2005),
	the weight of evidence from studies so far indicates that present day practice for managing solid municipal waste has, at most, a minor effect on human health and the environment, particularly when compared to other everyday activities.

DEFENCE

Skill Force

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on initiatives in the city of Nottingham by Skill Force to use the talents of retired military personnel.

Derek Twigg: Skill Force, an MOD initiated project, was set up in 2000 and since April 2005 has been, as originally intended, a fully divested registered charity. They are involved in three schools in the city of Nottingham. They have a school team of five instructors, of which four are ex-service personnel. They are currently in Hadden Park School, William Sharpe School and Hayward School.
	Skill Force are seeking to expand to cover five schools in the city from September of this year.

Iraq

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on economic development in Basra province.

Des Browne: As the Prime Minister explained to the House last October, economic reconstruction in Iraqand in particular in Basra provinceis a key element of our strategy. We are supporting Iraqi Government and private sector efforts to stimulate economic development in Basra, and I saw some encouraging signs of progress during my recent visit to the city. I will continue to have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on this and other elements of our strategy in Iraq.

Iraq

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made on the mentoring, monitoring and training of Iraqi security forces in southern Iraq.

Des Browne: UK forces in southern Iraq continue to make very good progress in mentoring and training the Iraqi Security Forces. Our main focus is on developing the 14th Division of the Iraqi Army until it is fully operational. We have embedded a significant number of our people with that division in order to help achieve this, and our forces continue to provide a range of other support as well. The performance of 14th Division during recent operations in and around Basra demonstrates the continuing success of our approach.

Common Security and Defence Policy

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of the common security and defence policy as defined in the treaty of Lisbon on UK defence policy.

Des Browne: I welcome the Lisbon Treaty since it reflects UK objectives of ensuring the development of a flexible, robust and NATO friendly European Security and Defence Policy. This includes keeping the key principle of unanimity for ESDP decision making. The Lisbon Treaty clearly states that the provisions
	do not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of the member states.

Helicopters

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopters are operational across all three services; and how many are expected to be operational in 2020.

Bob Ainsworth: The number of operational helicopters available to the three services, known as the 'Forward Fleet', is 357. Of these, 117 are in the Royal Navy, 154 in the Army Air Corps, and 86 in the Royal Air Force.
	It is not possible to predict with any certainty the number of helicopters in the Forward Fleet at 12 years distance. Forward Fleet numbers will fluctuate in response to changes in operational requirements, the equipment programme and depth maintenance schedules.

Afghanistan

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of progress made by troops in Afghanistan towards securing their objectives.

Des Browne: The International Security Assistance Force continues to make good progress in terms of defeating the threat posed by the Taliban, enhancing the authority of the Government of Afghanistan and improving the capabilities of the Afghan Security Forces. However, military action alone cannot solve the many long-term problems facing Afghanistan and ISAF forces work closely with the Government of Afghanistan, civilian organisations and coalition partners to ensure that we continue to make progress in our reconstruction and development efforts.

Afghanistan

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: The security situation in Afghanistan is stable, if fragile in places. The Afghan National Army and troops from the 40-nation International Security Assistance Force have achieved significant tactical success against the Taliban in 2007 and early 2008.

Afghanistan

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: The security situation in Afghanistan is stable, if fragile in places. The Afghan National Army and troops from the 40-nation International Security Assistance Force have achieved significant tactical success against the Taliban in 2007 and early 2008.

Royal British Legion

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last met representatives of the Royal British Legion; and what matters were discussed.

Derek Twigg: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met the director general and the chairman of the Royal British Legion on 17 January to welcome Chris Simpkins on his appointment and discuss issues of mutual interest; these ranged from conditions of service for members of the armed forces to funding for the armed forces memorial. He also spoke to the Royal British Legion annual conference on 17 May.

Armed Forces: Service Provision

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made on improving co-ordination with the devolved Administrations on the provision of services for armed forces personnel and their families.

Derek Twigg: We are already working closely at ministerial and official level to deliver individual initiatives. We will be publishing a major Command Paper on a cross-Government strategy for improving support to regular and serving members of the UK armed forces, their families, veterans and widow(er)s when it is ready. Many areas of this support are devolved responsibilities which can only be implemented by the devolved Administrations.
	I am committed to ensuring the entire UK delivers the best possible level of support to our armed forces.

Headley Court

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding his Department is providing to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court in 2008-09.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence funds the full operating costs of the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court and is constantly investing in new staff, facilities, patient welfare and treatment. For the financial year 2008-09, the operating costs of the unit are expected to be over 16 million.
	This year we are also constructing a 58-bed accommodation block for non-ward patients and staff, at a cost of around 4 million. In addition, we shall be spending some 3.5 million on other infrastructure work at Headley Court, including initial work for the major site development programme for which around 24 million has been allocated over the next four years (to upgrade clinical facilities and living accommodation) that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 6 May.
	For many years the Headley Court estate, which is owned by a charitable trust, has also benefited from additional funding of projects by that trust and other charities, and I am happy to place on record my thanks to them for their continuing support.

Commissioned Officers

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review the arrangements for the promotion of commissioned officers in the Army.

Bob Ainsworth: The Army keeps promotion arrangements for all types of commissioned officers under constant review, and amends them when appropriate. However, there are no immediate plans to conduct a wholesale review of current promotion rules.

Veterans: Health Services

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent improvements have been made to health services for veterans.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made in improving health services for service veterans.

Derek Twigg: All veterans will benefit from the decision last November to extend priority health treatment to all veterans in Great Britain whose condition is considered by their GP to be due to service. The Department is also working with the four UK Health Departments and Combat Stress in piloting a new expert mental health care service for veterans in six NHS trusts across the UK. Following two years' evaluation, best practice will be identified and rolled out across the UK.

Aircraft Carriers

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to sign the final contract for new aircraft carriers.

Bob Ainsworth: As we announced on 20 May, we stand ready to sign the manufacture contracts for the new aircraft carriers once the Joint Venture between BAE Systems and VT Group completes. We welcome the announcement made by the companies last week that they have reached final agreement on the formation of this joint venture and that, subject to approval by VTs shareholders, they expect the new company to begin operations at the start of July 2008.

Ammunition: International Cooperation

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the Government have played in securing international agreement on the banning of cluster munitions.

Des Browne: In November 2006, HMG made the decision to take the lead, internationally, in addressing the humanitarian concerns posed by certain types of cluster munitions.
	Since this date the UK has been actively engaged with the convention on conventional weapons (CCW) and in February 2007 decided also to join the 'Oslo' process to drive this issue forward and secure the best possible humanitarian effect.
	In March 2007 the UK took the initiative and withdrew from service two types of cluster munition believed to inflict 'unacceptable harm'the first country to do so after the Oslo conference.
	Consistently HMG's position on this issue has been made clear and was conveyed in the Prime Minister's speech in the Mansion House in November 2007 and his statement during the 'Oslo' process conference in Dublin on 28 May 2008.
	As one of 46 nations to support the 'Oslo' process from the outset, HMG is delighted with the outcome of the Dublin Conference. A joint FCO, MOD and DfID team has worked very hard to secure a strong convention that addressed the key humanitarian concerns.
	In advance of the convention entering into force the UK has once again led by example by ceasing use of cluster munitions with immediate effect and starting the programme to have them removed from service.
	While this has resulted in some additional capability risk, this has been assessed as manageable and acceptable against the benefit in delivering both a strong humanitarian effect and legitimacy within the convention.

Armed Forces

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Government plan to publish the Command Paper on service personnel.

Derek Twigg: We will publish a Command Paper outlining a cross-Government strategy for the provision of support to members of the armed forces, their families, veterans and widow(er)s when it is ready.

Armed Forces: Conditions of Employment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) total expenditure and (b) expenditure per person was for telephone allowances as part of the deployment welfare package in the (i) first six and (ii) last six months of 2007-08.

Derek Twigg: The total expenditure on telephone allowances as part of the Deployment Welfare Package for the first six months of financial year 2007-08 was 9,232,564, and for the last six months was 10,358,096. The expenditure per person for the first six months was 504.34, and for the last six months was 579.76.

Armed Forces: Council Tax Benefits

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel are deployed on operations and qualify for council tax rebate, broken down by council tax band.

Derek Twigg: It is estimated that some 13,000 service personnel will currently be eligible for MOD's council tax relief payment. This is paid as a flat rate and therefore does not vary by council tax band.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK personnel were deployed on operations in each location at the most recent date for which information is available.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows the number of UK service personnel deployed on operations by location at 2 June 2008. The number of personnel in theatre will naturally fluctuate on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including leave (rest and recuperation), temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, the roulement of forces and other factors.
	
		
			  Location  Number 
			  Total 16,070 
			  Of which:  
			 Afghanistan(1) 8,000 
			 Iraq(1) 4,300 
			 Kuwait(2) 1,060 
			 At Sea 910 
			 Kosovo 680 
			 Qatar 420 
			 Cyprus 270 
			 Oman 240 
			 Bahrain 80 
			 Bosnia 10 
			 Other 20 
			 (1) Figures for Iraq and Afghanistan have been rounded to the nearest 100 for operational security reasons. Other figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Due to rounding methods used, the total may not equal the sum of the individual locations. (2) Figures for Kuwait are artificially high due to a current Operation Telic Relief In Place (RIP) operation.  Note: 1. Countries with 10 or more personnel are shown separately. Other countries with fewer than 10 personnel per country include Georgia, Nepal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia.

Armed Forces: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2008,  Official Report, column 64W, on armed forces: peacekeeping operations, whether the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is involved with the analysis of member states'  (a) training capacities and  (b) training needs, to assess the potential added value of multi-national initiatives; and what co-ordination NATO will have in conjunction with the European Defence Agency on this issue.

Des Browne: NATO is fully involved in this work. The initial survey and analysis of Allies' helicopter capabilities was conducted by NATO, including at an expert workshop at NATO HQ. The survey and workshop identified insufficient and inadequate training as a main factor limiting the number of deployable helicopters. NATO and the European Defence Agency are co-ordinating their efforts to remedy these shortfalls through the EU NATO Capability Group.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) target and  (b) actual recruitment to the (i) Army, (ii) Royal Navy, and (iii) Royal Air Force was in each year since 1997.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows the recruitment targets form 2000-01 to 2007-08 and the actual recruitment from 1997-98 to 2007-08 to the UK regular(1) forces by service.
	
		
			1997-98( 4)  1998-99( 4)  1999-2000( 4)  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 All services Intake(2) 23,510 26,000 25,550 23,020 23,720 26,350 23,540 17,590 18,150 (5)19,790 (5)21,310 
			  Target(3) n/a n/a n/a 25,490 23,340 25,340 23,270 18,270 18,840 19,870 21,900 
			  
			 Navy Intake(2) 4,600 4,770 4,950 4,620 5,010 5,220 4,120 3,690 3,940 (5)3,770 (5)3,860 
			  Target(3) n/a n/a n/a 4,840 5,040 5,060 4,160 3,750 3,930 4,030 4,260 
			  
			 Army Intake(2) 15,380 16,990 16,500 14,770 14,930 16,690 15,260 11,720 12,730 (5)14,300 (5)14,520 
			  Target(3) n/a n/a n/a 16,670 14,160 15,270 14,490 12,250 13,400 13,950 14,550 
			  
			 RAF Intake(2) 3,530 4,250 4,100 3,630 3,780 4,450 4,160 2,180 1,480 1,720 (5)2,930 
			  Target(3) n/a n/a n/a 3,980 4,140 5,000 4,610 2,210 1,500 1,890 3,080 
			 n/a = not available (1) UK regular forces includes nursing services and excludes full time reserve service personnel, Gurkhas, the home service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists. It includes trained and untrained personnel. (2) Actual recruitment (intake from civilian life) figures are taken from table 3 in TSP1, the latest edition is available at www.dasa.mod.uk. (3) Recruitment target figures have been provided by the single services. (4) Recruitment targets are not available pre financial year 2000-01. (5) Denotes provisional and subject to review due to ongoing data validation of the joint personnel administration system (JPA).  Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: DASA (Quad-Service)

Armed Forces: USA

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2008,  Official Report, column 379W, on the armed forces: USA, on how many occasions since 1997 visiting US personnel have been  (a) prosecuted under UK law and  (b) dealt with under US law for offences committed in the UK; and what information his Department holds on the results of such cases dealt with by the US military authorities.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 June 2008,  Official Report, column 67W.

Armed Forces: Vehicles

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel have lost their lives in road traffic accidents involving a Land Rover TUM/TUL HS Wolf since it entered service in April 1997; and how many of these accidents have been attributed to excess speed.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 12 June 2008
	As at 31 May 2008,17 UK regular armed forces service personnel have died in road traffic accidents in Land Rover TUM/TUL HS Wolf since it entered service in April 1997.
	Information is not held centrally on the causes of these incidents and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Working Hours

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many unsociable hours as defined by the Defence Analytical Services Agency  (a) armed forces,  (b) Royal Navy,  (c) Army and  (d) Royal Air Force personnel undertook in each of the last five years.

Bob Ainsworth: Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) carry out a continuous sample survey of working patterns of service personnel.
	The 2006-07 Survey of Continuous Working Patterns report provides estimates of the average number of unsociable hours worked per week. A five year time series by service is provided on page 10 of this report a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
	The 2007-08 report is currently being compiled and is expected to be ready towards the end of 2008.

Armed Forces: Working Hours

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of  (a) armed forces,  (b) Royal Navy,  (c) Army and  (d) Royal Air Force personnel worked excessive hours as defined by the Defence Analytical Services Agency in each of the last five years.

Bob Ainsworth: Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) carry out a continuous sample survey of working patterns of service personnel.
	The 2006-07 Survey of Continuous Working Patterns report provides estimates of the proportion of personnel working excessive hours per week. A five year time series by service is provided on page 11 of this report a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
	The 2007-08 report is currently being compiled and is expected to be ready towards the end of 2008.

Burma: HMS Westminster

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role HMS Westminster is playing in the international relief effort for Burma.

Bob Ainsworth: At the request of DFID, on 15 May the MOD deployed the closest available vessel to international waters near Burma as a contingency to assist with the humanitarian response if needed. HMS Westminster's capabilities include fresh water production (up to 50 metric tonnes per day), two sea boats for the transport of personnel and equipment, communications liabilities and a Merlin helicopter which could be used for reconnaissance or to transport personnel and equipment. In addition, the ship's company of around 150 personnel are trained in disaster relief.
	To minimise the disruption to the ship's planned tasks, on Sunday 25 May HMS Westminster was relieved by HMS Edinburgh, which has a similar capability for delivery of humanitarian assistance.
	You will be aware that the Burmese authorities formally declined the offer of assistance from naval vessels so none of these capabilities have been utilised. Following discussions with the French and US, and in the light of the UN/ASEAN Cyclone Nargis International Pledging Conference on 25 May, the decision was taken on 28 May to withdraw HMS Edinburgh to allow her to return to other tasking. The MOD, DFID and FCO continue to keep under review how the UK may best contribute to relief efforts as the consequences of Cyclone Nargis become evident.
	DFID has so far committed 17 million for emergency cyclone relief, in addition to its normal funding programmes in Burma. The International Development Secretary attended the 25 May donor conference in Rangoon and gave strong support to the UN Secretary-General's efforts to press the regime to give full co-operation to the international aid effort.

Caribbean: Drugs

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the adequacy of rotary wing support for British forces operating in the Caribbean on counter-narcotics operations.

Bob Ainsworth: We do not deploy military assets dedicated specifically to counter-narcotic activities. Military forces are, however, made available upon request, when operational commitments and resources allow, to support the counter-drugs activities of the law enforcement agencies, in this case, the Joint Inter Agency Task Force. Sufficient helicopters are available to fulfil that tasking.

Caribbean: Navy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy ships are serving in the Caribbean on counter-narcotics operations.

Bob Ainsworth: The Royal Navy has deployed one Frigate and one Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tanker to the Caribbean for the 2008 Hurricane season from June 2008 to November 2008. Outside of the core hurricane season, the RN deploys one Royal Fleet Auxiliary 'Bay' Class Landing Ship Dock. In both instances, the primary roles of the ships are to provide reassurance to the Overseas Territories as well as Humanitarian and Disaster relief training to local organisations, and Humanitarian and Disaster relief as co-ordinated with FCO and DFID. Concurrently, RN units contribute to the counter-narcotics and all periods at sea are devoted to Maritime Security in the round.

Caribbean: Navy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopters of each type served in the Caribbean on counter-narcotics operations in each month since June 2006.

Bob Ainsworth: We do not deploy military assets dedicated specifically to counter-narcotic activities. Military forces are, however, made available upon request, when operational commitments and resources allow, to support the counter drugs activities of the law enforcement agencies, in this case, the Joint Inter Agency Task Force.
	The following table shows British helicopters deployed with Atlantic Patrol Task (North) which covers the Caribbean. It should be noted that the primary purpose of this task is the promotion of British interests in the region and the security of the overseas territories rather than counter-narcotics operations.
	
		
			   Aircraft type  Number 
			 June 2006 to January 2007 Lynx 2 
			
			 February 2007 Lynx 1 
			
			 March 2007 to June 2007 SeaKing Mk 7 ASAC 3 
			  Merlin 2 
			  Lynx 1 
			
			 July 2007 to November 2007 Lynx 2 
			
			 December 2007 to June 2008 Lynx 1

Caribbean: Navy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times United States Coast Guard helicopters have supported Royal Navy-led counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean since June 2006.

Bob Ainsworth: Royal Navy units do not lead counter narcotic operations in the Caribbean. Counter narcotic operations are conducted under the auspices of Joint Interagency Task Force (South) who do not log this information.

Caribbean: Navy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanisms of co-operation there are between UK forces and the United States Coast Guard in conducting counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean.

Bob Ainsworth: RN units predominately from the RN Atlantic Patrol Task (North) co-operate with US Coast Guard under a Memorandum of Understanding between the RN and the Joint Interagency Task Force (South) based at Key West, Florida.

Defence Estates: Eco-Towns

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which of the sites proposed for an eco-town and not included on the shortlist his Department has  (a) sold or  (b) otherwise disposed of land under arrangements whereby his Department would benefit from a future sale of the land in the last 10 years.

Derek Twigg: It is possible that the Ministry of Defence would benefit from the future sale of land at Alconbury airfield, Sculthorpe airfield, Waterbeach, Derwent Forest and Throckmorton airfield.

EU Defence Policy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK  (a) military personnel and  (b) civilian staff were attached to the (i) European Union Military Staff, (ii) European Defence Agency, (iii) European Union Military Committee and (iv) other EU institutions in each month since September 2007.

Des Browne: In each month since September 2007, the following numbers of military personnel were seconded to the EU Military Staff in Brussels:
	
		
			   Number 
			 September 2007 16 
			 October 2007 17 
			 November 2007 17 
			 December 2007 17 
			 January 2008 17 
			 February 2008 17 
			 March 2008 17 
			 April 2008 18 
			 May 2008 18 
		
	
	No MOD civilian staff have been seconded to the EU Military Staff in any month since September 2007.
	In each month since September 2007, the following numbers of military personnel and MOD civilian staff were seconded to the European Defence Agency in Brussels:
	
		
			   Military  Civilian 
			 September 2007 1 4 
			 October 2007 1 3 
			 November 2007 1 3 
			 December 2007 1 3 
			 January 2008 2 3 
			 February 2008 2 3 
			 March 2008 2 3 
			 April 2008 2 4 
			 May 2008 2 4 
		
	
	The European Military Committee is a regular meeting of the Chiefs of Defence Staff or their representatives from the EU member states, not a standing EU structure. There has been one British military officer seconded as the Military Adviser to the permanent Chairman of the EU Military Committee in every month since September 2007.
	There have been no military personnel seconded to other EU institutions in any month since September 2007.
	In every month since September 2007 there has been one MOD civilian seconded to the European Council General Secretariat, one MOD civilian seconded to the European Commission and one MOD civilian seconded to the European Global Navigation Satellite System Supervisory Authority (GSA).

EU Defence Policy

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Government's policy is on the UK's participation in a standing EU armed force.

Des Browne: There is no standing EU armed force and there are no plans for one.

Gibraltar Service Police

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the Gibraltar Service Police Staff Association was not party to the discussions prior to the agreement between his Department and the Transport and General Workers Association on 31 May 2007 on the future of the Gibraltar dockyard; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Gibraltar Services Police Staff Association was not party to the discussions as their members were not affected by that agreement, which noted that the Gibraltar Services Police were to be subject to a separate forthcoming review.

Gibraltar Service Police

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what direct consultations his Department has had with the Gibraltar Service Police Staff Association about the future of  (a) the Gibraltar dockyard and  (b) the Gibraltar Service Police; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: There have been no consultations with the Gibraltar Services Police Staff Association (GSPSA) on the future of the Gibraltar dockyard. HQ British Forces Gibraltar issued for consultation the terms of reference document for the Gibraltar Policing and Security Review to the GSPSA and other interested parties on 4 June 2007. They responded on 19 June 2007 and conduct of the review commenced on 20 June 2007. The GSPSA has been kept informed on the progress of the review. Should the review determine an option that changes the current status or structure of the Gibraltar Services Police, then the normal process of consultation will take place in line with standard departmental procedures.

Gibraltar Service Police

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provisions in the agreement between his Department and the Transport and General Workers Union on 31 May 2007  (a) relate to the Gibraltar Service Police (GSP),  (b) have a direct effect on the GSP and  (c) have a direct effect on individual GSP officers; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: There are no provisions in the agreement that relate to the Gibraltar Services Police (GSP), or have a direct effect on the GSP or individual GSP officers.

Gibraltar Service Police

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the evidential basis is for the estimated cost saving which his Department has indicated will result from the transfer of the Gibraltar Service Police (GSP) to the Royal Gibraltar Police; for what reason the documents relevant to the proposed transfer were not made available to the Gibraltar Service Police Staff Association; and if he will place the documents in the Library.

Bob Ainsworth: The Department has not yet reached any decision on the future of the GSP. In particular, no decision has been taken to transfer GSP functions to the Royal Gibraltar Police. Decisions on the future of the GSP will only be taken after the completion of an investment appraisal. I will write to the hon. Member once a final decision has been taken.

Gibraltar Service Police

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations his Department held on the proposed transfer of the Gibraltar Service Police (GSP) to the Royal Gibraltar Police with the GSP Chief Police Officer through  (a) the Headquarters of the British Forces GIB security review and  (b) any other means; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Department has not yet reached any decision on the future of the GSP. Accordingly, there have been no consultations with the GSP Chief Police Officer on the transfer of the GSP to the Royal Gibraltar Police. Over the past year both incumbents of the GSP Chief Officer post have been actively engaged in the security review.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions the Government have had with the Iraqi Government on the legal status of British forces in Iraq.

Des Browne: The Multi-National Force, including British forces, operates in Iraq under the mandate of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1790, and at the request of the Government of Iraq. We are in discussion with Coalition partners and the Government of Iraq over our legal requirements following the anticipated expiry of the UN Security Council mandate at the end of 2008, with a view to ensuring that any future UK military assistance to Iraq remains on a sound legal footing.

Kosovo: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the deployment of the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles to Kosovo; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 13 June 2008
	2nd Battalion, the Rifles, has successfully deployed to Kosovo and formally began its mission on 31 May 2008.

Middle East: Ministerial Policy Advisers

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to appoint a Middle East adviser; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: I have no plans to appoint a middle east adviser.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Defence Industrial Strategy in procuring helicopters to meet the needs of the armed forces.

Bob Ainsworth: We have made significant progress in the helicopter sector since the publication of the Defence Industrial Strategy. The Strategic Partnering Arrangement with AgustaWestland has helped improve responsiveness and predictability through, for example, improved spares availability and adoption of a joint modification service.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required and  (b) actual helicopter crew numbers are of each helicopter type in the (i) Army Air Corps, (ii) Fleet Air Arm and (iii) Royal Air Force.

Bob Ainsworth: The numbers of aircrew are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Required strength  Actual strength 
			  Army Air Corps   
			 Apache AH Mk 1 134 93 
			 Lynx Mk 7/9 208 192 
			 Gazelle Mk1 98 104 
			 AgustaA109 5 6 
			 Bell 212 24 23 
			
			  School of Army Aviation( 1) 46 43 
			
			  Royal Navy   
			 Sea King Mk 4/6c 131 117 
			 Lynx Mk 3/8 100 96 
			 Merlin Mk 1 169 139 
			 Sea King Mk 5 62 45 
			 Sea King Mk 7 45 43 
			
			  Royal Air Force   
			 Chinook Mk 2/2a 249 229 
			 Puma Mk 1 131 136 
			 Merlin Mk 3/3a 140 127 
			 SAR Sea King Mk3/3a 132 126 
			
			  Defence Helicopter Flying School   
			 Squirrel 30 29 
			 Griffin 54 52 
			 (1) SAAVN figures cannot be split by aircraft type (AH/Squirrel/Lynx/Gazelle).

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a service helicopter was flying at grid reference GR 214 384, over land at Fiddington, adjacent to Clayton Lane, near Tewkesbury, on 4 December 2007, between 4.15 pm. and 4.45 pm.

Derek Twigg: One Army Gazelle helicopter was operating in and out of the Ashchurch vehicle depot, and passed near to the stated location at 16.32 on the day in question.

Military Attaches

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence attachs his Department had in post in each  (a) city and  (b) country outside the UK in each month since September 2007.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows resident Attachs/Advisers by country and city over the period in question.
	
		
			Number of Attachs/Advisers at Post on 1( st)  Day of Month 
			2007  2008 
			  Country  City  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec  Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun 
			 Afghanistan Kabul 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Albania Tirana 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Closed 
			 Algeria Algiers 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Argentina Buenos Aires 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 
			 Australia Canberra 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Austria Vienna(1) 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 
			 Bahrain Manama 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Bangladesh Dhaka 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Barbados Bridgetown 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Bosnia  Herzegovina Sarajevo 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Brazil Brasilia 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Bulgaria Sofia 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Canada Ottawa 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Chile Santiago 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 China Beijing 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 
			 Colombia Bogota 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Congo, Democratic Republic of Kinshasa 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Croatia Zagreb 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Closed 
			 Cyprus Nicosia 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Czech Republic Prague 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Denmark Copenhagen 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Egypt Cairo 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Ethiopia Addis Ababa 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Finland Helsinki 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 France Paris 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 
			 Georgia Tbilisi 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Germany Berlin 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 
			 Ghana Accra 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Greece Athens 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 
			 Guatemala Guatemala City 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Closed 
			 India New Delhi(2) 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Indonesia Jakarta 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Iraq Baghdad 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Ireland Dublin 1 1 Closed 
			 Israel Tel Aviv 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Italy Rome 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Jamaica Kingston 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Japan Tokyo 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Jordan Amman 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Kazakhstan Astana 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Kenya Nairobi 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Republic of Korea Seoul 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 
			 Kuwait Kuwait City 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Lebanon Beirut 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Lithuania Vilnius 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Macedonia Skopje 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Closed 
			 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Morocco Rabat 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Nepal Kathmandu 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Netherlands The Hague 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 New Zealand Wellington 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Nigeria Abuja 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Norway Oslo 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Oman Muscat 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Pakistan Islamabad(3) 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 
			 Poland Warsaw 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 
			 Portugal Lisbon 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Qatar Doha 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Romania Bucharest 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Russia Moscow 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 
			 Saudi Arabia Riyadh 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Serbia Belgrade 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Sierra Leone Freetown 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Singapore Singapore City 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Slovakia Bratislava 1 1 Closed 
			 South Africa Pretoria 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Spain Madrid 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 
			 Sri Lanka Colombo 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Sudan Khartoum 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Sweden Stockholm 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Syria Damascus 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Thailand Bangkok 1 1 1 1 1 1 Closed 
			 Turkey Ankara 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Uganda Kampala 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Ukraine Kyiv 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 United States of America Washington 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 
			  UK Mission to UN New York 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Yemen Sana'a 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Zimbabwe Harare 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 (1) Vienna has been established as a regional hub with three Attachs based there covering Austria and another six countries on a non-residential basis: Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Switzerland. (2) 2 Senior Advisers (the Defence and Military Adviser and the Naval and Air Adviser) are supported by an Assistant Defence Adviser. (3) 2 Senior Advisers (the Defence and Military Adviser and the Naval and Air Adviser) are supported by an Assistant Defence Adviser. An additional Adviser is now at post in the role of Assistant Military Adviser. 
		
	
	Over this period changes to the Defence Attach network have been implemented as stated in the written ministerial statement issued by the Secretary of State for Defence on 17 September 2007,  Official Report, column 125WS. These changes are:
	Defence Sections have been closed in Albania, Croatia, Guatemala, Ireland, Macedonia, Slovakia and Thailand.
	Attach numbers have been reduced by one in Argentina, Egypt, France, Greece, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Poland, the Russian Federation, Spain and Ukraine.
	A Defence Section has been opened in Kabul, Afghanistan and an additional Adviser has been deployed in Islamabad, Pakistan.
	Vienna has been established as a regional hub with three Attachs based there covering Austria and another six countries on a non-residential basis: Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Switzerland.

Military Attaches

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on his Department's security objectives of reducing the size of the defence attach network.

Bob Ainsworth: The ability of the MOD to fulfil its security objectives is not jeopardised by the reductions being made to the defence attach network.

Military Attaches

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether defence attachs from other EU member states assist his Department in countries where the UK has  (a) a reduced and  (b) no defence attach section.

Bob Ainsworth: There are no arrangements in place for defence attachs from other EU member states to assist the UK Ministry of Defence in countries where the UK has a reduced or no defence section.

Military Exercises

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2008,  Official Report, column 682W, on the EU Battlegroup, which countries were represented at the EU battlegroup observer's day to Exercise Druids Dance on 12 May;
	(2)  what the cost to his Department of hosting the EU Battlegroup observer's day to Exercise Druids Dance on 12 May was.

Des Browne: The cost to my Department of hosting the EU Battlegroup observers' day to Exercise Druids Dance, held on 12 May at the Land Warfare Centre on Salisbury Plain, was 622.12. This consisted of 446.25 to hire a coach, and 175.87 to provide lunch and refreshments. The observers were responsible for their own travel to the Land Warfare Centre and any hotel costs.
	The following countries were represented at the EU Battlegroup observers' day: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
	The observers' day was also attended by representatives of the House of Commons Defence Committee and the House of Lords EU Scrutiny Committee.

Nuclear Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with Rolls-Royce in determining the requirements for a new nuclear steam raising plant; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Rolls-Royce is the technical authority and sole industrial supplier for the Ministry of Defence's nuclear propulsion plant. The Ministry of Defence has had extensive discussions over many months with Rolls-Royce in determining the requirement for the Next Generation Nuclear Propulsion Plant, which is intended to be used on the successor to the Vanguard class submarines.

Turkey: EU Defence Policy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on Turkey's administrative agreement with the European Defence Agency.

Des Browne: We fully support Turkey's aspiration to have an administrative arrangement with the European Defence Agency (EDA). The establishment of such an administrative arrangement requires a unanimous European Council decision, which has not yet been possible. I regularly discuss approaches to resolving this issue with my European Union counterparts.

Warships

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ships are projected to be in service in the combined destroyer/frigate fleet in each year until the first Future Surface Combatant vessel enters service.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 12 June 2008
	The 2004 Defence White Paper Delivering Security in a Changing World, Future Capabilities (Cm 6269) set the Navy's requirement for destroyers and frigates at 25. While this remains the number in service at present we keep future plans for all force levels under constant review.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support Agency: Correspondence

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will instruct Mr. Andrew Price of the Child Support Agency to reply to the hon. Member for Canterbury's letters of 29 November 2007 and 29 January 2008 on the case of his constituent, Mr. Alan Till.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 2 June 2008
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the Hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 16 June 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive answer from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will instruct Mr Andrew Price of the Child Support Agency to reply to the hon. Member for Canterbury's letters of 29th November 2007 and 29th January 2008 on the case of his constituent Mr Alan Till. (207885)
	As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.

Departmental Audit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library internal audit recommendations made in the last three years in relation to  (a) Jobcentre Plus,  (b) the Pension Service,  (c) the Disability and Carers Directorate and  (d) the Child Support Agency.

Anne McGuire: No, to do so would prejudice the effective conduct of internal audit work in Department for Work and Pensions.

Departmental Public Participation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) surveys,  (b) questionnaires and  (c) other services were provided by polling companies for his Department in financial year 2007-08, broken down by company.

Anne McGuire: The following table provides details of surveys, questionnaires and other services provided by polling companies for my Department during the financial year 2007-08.
	
		
			  Project  Company 
			 Families and Children study National Centre for Social Research 
			 How do people think DWP should respond to the future Ipsos MORI 
			 Attitudes to state pensions British Market Research Bureau 
			 Living standards National Centre for Social Research 
			 Living standards (methodological work) National Centre for Social Research 
			 Community Care Grants British Market Research Bureau 
			 Claimants' experiences of changes in circumstances and the effect of recovering overpayments (Phases 2 and 3) Social Policy Research Unit, University of York 
			 NatCen Omnibus Survey - exploring attitudes to child poverty National Centre for Social Research 
			 British Social Attitudes Survey National Centre for Social Research 
			 NatCen Omnibus Survey - measuring PSA 17 (Later Life) National Centre for Social Research 
			 ONS Omnibus survey (disability Module) Office for National Statistics 
			 English Longitudinal Study of Ageing National Centre for Social Research 
			 Individuals' attitudes and likely reactions to the personal account reforms, 2007 Ipsos MORI 
			 Reasons why individuals might remain in or opt out of the personal account scheme  
			 Employers' attitudes and likely reactions to the personal account reforms, 2007 British Market Research Bureau 
			 Understanding employers' responses to the personal account reforms British Market Research Bureau 
			 Pensions Education Fund IFF Research Ltd 
			 Information Needs at Retirement RS Consulting Ltd 
			 Customer Purchase Outcome Survey British Market Research Bureau 
			 Trust and confidence in pensions and pension providers British Market Research Bureau 
			 Understanding why employees do not participate in employer pension schemes Ipsos MORI 
			 At Retirement Monitor 2007 Marketing Sciences Ltd 
			 Retirement Planning Monitor 2007 Marketing sciences Ltd 
			 Cost of running pension schemes: A feasibility study RS consulting Ltd 
			 Employers Pension Provision 2007 British Market Research Bureau 
			 Understanding responses to pension forecasts Independent social Research Ltd 
			 Information needs of auto-enrolled individuals British Market Research Bureau 
			 State Pension Deferral British Market Research Bureau 
			 Accrual of basic state pension National Centre for Social Research 
			 Pension Service customer survey British Market Research Bureau 
			 Child Support and Relationship Breakdown survey National Centre for social Research 
			 Child support policy telephone survey British Market Research Bureau 
			 Public attitudes to key aspects of the welfare reform programme Brahm 
			 Attitudes to retirement Ipsos MORI 
			 Attitudes to pension saving YouGov 
			 NatCen Omnibus Survey (Module 1) -examining attitudes to mental health and employment National Centre for Social Research 
			 NatCen Omnibus Survey (Module 2) -examining attitudes to seeking psychological therapies for mental health conditions National Centre for Social Research 
			 Focus groups on assessing child support client information and support needs CapGemini

Departmental Security

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff have been dismissed from his Department as a consequence of a breach of security in the last three years.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 12 June 2008
	Information on the number of staff who have been dismissed as a consequence of a breach of security is not available in the format requested.
	Since April 2007, when the new personal computer system was introduced, disciplinary action for breaches of security has been recorded under general headings of computer misuse or disclosure of information. There are currently no records held on the system for dismissals on grounds of computer misuse or disclosure of information.
	To extract more detailed information from individual records under this category would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Vetting

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 1406-07W, on social security benefits: personal records, when the phased criminal record checks on all successful candidates for posts in his Department will have been completed.

Stephen Timms: The phased implementation of criminal records checks on all new successful applicants for posts in the Department is expected to be completed by the end of 2008.

Employment and Support Allowance

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the support and assistance available to get Employment and Support Allowance claimants back to work following the introduction of the allowance; and what estimate he has made of expenditure on such assistance.

Stephen Timms: Pathways to Work provides a single gateway to financial, employment and health support for people claiming incapacity benefits. Jobcentre Plus led Pathways to Work is currently operating in 40 per cent. of the country. Provider-led Pathways are currently operating in the remaining 60 per cent. In these areas providers have the flexibility to tailor the range of programmes that are available to customers in order to tailor provision to their needs. Pathways to Work forms the back-to-work support element of employment and support allowance.
	Planned spending is 300 million in 2008-09, 390 million in 2009-10 and 400 million in 2010-11. Figures provided, particularly for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are indicative allocations based on current assumptions and are subject to change.

Eyesight: Surgery

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints have been received by the Health and Safety Executive about non-surgical laser and intensive pulsed light treatments in the last five years.

Anne McGuire: Health and Safety Executive would not be the recipient of such complaints as premises where non-surgical laser and intensive pulsed light treatments are undertaken are regulated by local authorities or in some cases the Healthcare Commission.

Food: Prices

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of changes in the price of food on benefit claimants; what consideration he has given to increasing benefit levels outside the annual uprating; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: There is a statutory requirement to review all social security benefits each year and to increase certain benefits from April of the following year.
	The new rates are calculated for most benefits using the increase in the retail prices index for the 12 months ending in the preceding September. This measure is based on a year-on-year comparison of prices. Therefore any fluctuations in food prices will be taken into account in the benefit increases that will take effect from April 2009.

Housing Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by each local authority on backdated payments of  (a) housing benefit and  (b) council tax benefit in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit: Employment

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of jobs appropriate for incapacity benefit claimants coming off the benefit which will be available in each local authority area in Hampshire in 2010.

James Plaskitt: We do not make assessments of what job opportunities are appropriate for those who leave incapacity benefit. Nor do we forecast the future availability of jobs. However, we are introducing reforms, such as the introduction of employment and support allowance, which mean the benefit system will be better placed to help claimants back into work and to find appropriate employment.

Incapacity Benefit: Standards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what interim targets on reducing the number of incapacity benefit claimants he has set within the overall 2015 target; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: We are committed to meeting our stretching long-term goal, and believe it will support the delivery of real change over the coming years. Our upcoming Green Paper will consult on how best to build on our progress so far.

Income Support: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people started a claim for income support with disability premium in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 11 June 2008
	The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Income support on-flows with a disability premium 
			  Flowed on in year ending  Number 
			 November 2003 93,640 
			 November 2004 86,740 
			 November 2005 85,930 
			 November 2006 86,630 
			 November 2007 85,890 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Figures relate to number of claims, not the number of people. If a person flows on to income support (IS) in the year ending November 2003, flows off IS, then flows back on in the year ending November 2005, s/he will be counted as an on-flow in both of those years.  Source: DWP WPLS Experimental Benefit Flows Statistics.

Industrial Accidents: Wind Power

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many fatal accidents were recorded in relation to the operation of wind turbines in  (a) Wales,  (b) England,  (c) Scotland and  (d) Northern Ireland in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Since 1997, HSE is aware of two fatalities related to the operation of the UK's wind energy industry. In Scotland in May 2007, a construction worker fell from height inside a wind turbine tower; and in Wales in March 2008 a worker who struck by a moving vehicle on a wind farm access road.
	HSE is not the regulator for Northern Ireland (NI) but I am advised that there have been no fatalities related to wind turbines in NI since 1997.

Jobcentre Plus: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding Jobcentre Plus provides for computer training at home.

Stephen Timms: Jobcentre Plus does not provide funding for computer training at home. The overall strategy for contracted welfare to work training is based on improving the employability skills of unemployed customers by ensuring that provision is delivered by experts, in a structured manner and in a work-like environment. There are, however, opportunities for individuals to undertake computer-based home training which might be funded by other agencies, including the third sector.
	There are currently no plans to change this policy. However, DWP will continue to undertake reviews of funding for, and the effectiveness of, its contracted employment provision.

Jobcentres

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will review arrangements for travel expenses for clients where no local Jobcentre Plus office exists; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to  (a) permit telephone or postal signing on and  (b) provide assistance towards travel expenses to allow claimants to sign on in person where local Jobcentre Plus offices have closed and claimants do not live near another office.

Stephen Timms: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves, dated 16 June 2008:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking if he will review arrangements for travel expenses for clients where no local Jobcentre Plus office exists; and if he will make a statement; and if he will make it his policy to (a) permit telephone or postal signing on and (b) provide assistance towards travel expenses to allow claimants to sign on in person where local Jobcentre Plus offices have closed and claimants do not live near another office. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to Ms Strathie as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. I am replying in her absence as Acting Chief Executive.
	There are circumstances in which it is unreasonable to expect people to attend the Jobcentre and where reimbursement of travel expenses is appropriate.
	Where it is unreasonable to expect someone to attend their nearest Jobcentre Plus office, we have long-standing arrangements that allow people to maintain their claim by post. These arrangements apply:
	if the customer lives more than one hour (door to door) by public transport from the nearest office;
	if attendance means being away from home in excess of four hours;
	if the customer has a mental or physical disability that restricts mobility; and
	in other exceptional circumstances for example, the customer would have to use a form of transport they would not ordinarily be expected to use on a regular basis, i.e. an inter-city train, ferry or plane.
	Personal Adviser interviews for customers claiming Jobseekers Allowance are nearly always timed to coincide with regular jobsearch review appointments, so additional costs are not incurred for attending. We do pay travel expenses if a personal adviser appointment is:
	in an office other than their normal office of attendance and they incur additional expenses for attending; or
	in their normal office of attendance, but not on their normal day of attendance.
	For customers claiming benefits other than Jobseekers Allowance, travel expenses are reimbursed for pre-arranged interviews, medical services examinations, work-focused interviews, new deal interviews and other work-related events.
	These arrangements ensure people are only required to attend the Jobcentre where it is reasonable to expect them to do so and travel costs are reimbursed in appropriate circumstances. I therefore have no plans to review these existing arrangements.
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobseekers Allowance: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of people claiming jobseekers allowance in  (a) Leeds metropolitan district and  (b) Leeds West constituency.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Jobseeker's allowance claimants: April 2008 
			   Number 
			 Leeds metropolitan district 12,475 
			 Leeds West parliamentary constituency 1,851 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are unrounded. 2. Figures include clerically held cases.  Source: 100 per cent. count of claimants of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems.

Local Housing Allowance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his estimate is of the number of cases in the deregulated private rented sector that will be in receipt of local housing allowance in 2008;
	(2)  what his estimate is of the number of cases that will be in receipt of the local housing allowance where the rent is paid directly to the claimant in 2008.

James Plaskitt: The local housing allowance applied nationally to new claims and to those who move address from 7 April 2008. The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that 45 to 60 per cent. of Housing Benefit cases in the deregulated private rented sector will be subject to the local housing allowance in 2008-09. This would represent between 370,000 and 500,000 housing benefit cases.
	In the local housing allowance pathfinder areas direct payments to claimants rose from 50 to 84 per cent. If direct payments to claimants rise nationally to a similar extent (for example to 80 per cent.), we expect approximately 300,000 to 400,000 local housing allowance cases will be paid their rent directly.

National Insurance: Foreigners

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers have been issued to migrants from EU A8 countries in each constituency in  (a) the East of England and  (b) the East Midlands in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 29 April 2008
	The available information has been placed in the Library.

Part-Time Employment: Parents

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of parents with children under the age of 16 years who work only during school terms.

Tom Watson: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 June 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the number and proportion of parents with children under 16 years of age who work only during school terms. (210103)
	In April-June 2007, an estimated 542,000 parents in employment with at least one child under 16 had an agreed 'term-time' working arrangement. This figure accounts for 7 per cent. of parents in employment with children under 16. Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) household datasets. They are weighted to the population estimates published by ONS in February and March 2003. They do not incorporate the more recent population estimates used in the monthly Labour Market Statistics First Release.
	In calculating the percentage, people who did not answer the LFS question about flexible working arrangements have been excluded.
	The LFS is a sample survey covering over 52,000 households in the United Kingdom in each three month period. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Pension Credit

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects on recipients of reducing the length of time for which pension tax credit may be backdated from 12 to three months.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 9 June 2008
	 The Department has conducted an equality impact assessment in respect of the proposed changes to the time for claiming pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit for those of pension credit age from 12 to three months and of the proposed change to the backdating period allowed within housing benefit and council tax benefit for working age customers from 52 weeks to three months. The equality impact assessment has been published on the Department for Work and Pensions website and can be accessed using the following link.
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/resourcecentre/PC-HB-CTB-EIA-Apr08.pdf

Pensions

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on the financial impact on participating companies of the Pension Protection Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: I receive representations about the financial impact of the Pension Protection Fund on a routine basis.
	The calculation of the pension protection levy is a matter for the board of the PPF under section 175 of the Pensions Act 2004, subject to the limits set by Parliament. PPF is currently seeking to collect 675 million for 2008-09 within a ceiling of 833,410,200. The board has decided that for 2008-09 no bill should exceed one per cent. of liabilities (a reduction from 1.25 per cent. for the previous year).

Post Office Card Account

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason the Pensions Service is informing individual state pension claimants in correspondence that the Post Office Card Account service will no longer be available from 2010; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 5 June 2008
	While the existing Post Office card account contract ends in March 2010, there will be a successor product, and DWP is in the process of tendering for a supplier.
	I am aware of a recent occasion where an individual customer was mistakenly given incomplete information and we are writing to the person concerned to apologise.

Social Security Benefits

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of  (a) male and  (b) female pensioners in each region who will be eligible for means-tested benefits in each year until 2050;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of pensioners who will have marginal deduction rates of  (a) zero to 10 per cent.,  (b) 11 to 20 per cent.,  (c) 21 to 30 per cent.,  (d) 31 to 40 per cent.,  (e) 41 to 50 per cent.,  (f) 51 to 60 per cent.,  (g) 61 to 70 per cent.,  (h) 71 to 80 per cent.,  (i) 81 to 90 per cent. and  (j) 91 to 100 per cent. in each year until 2050.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Measures to improve the coverage and generosity of the state pension together with reform of the savings credit are projected to reduce the proportion of pensioner households entitled to income related benefits over the long term.
	Updated projections of the proportion of pensioner households eligible to income related benefits have been placed in the Library.

Social Security Benefits

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people who will flow on to the employment and support allowance in each of the next five years he estimates will be claiming the benefit by the  (a) income channel and  (b) contribution channel;
	(2)  how many people he estimates will flow on to  (a) the support channel and  (b) the work channel of the employment and support allowance in each of the next five years;
	(3)  how many people he estimates will flow on to the work channel of the employment and support allowance and be claiming the benefit by  (a) the income channel and  (b) the contribution channel in the next five years;
	(4)  how many people he expects will flow onto the support channel of the employment and support allowance and be claiming the benefit by  (a) the income channel and  (b) the contribution channel.

James Plaskitt: holding answers 10 June and 11 June 2008
	We expect that 10 per cent. of new employment and support allowance customers will flow into the support group, and that 90 per cent of new employment and support allowance customers will flow into the work related activity group.
	Information is available up to the end of the Government's spending plan period, to 2010-11. The information is summarised in the following table.
	
		
			  Employment and support allowance: Estimated benefit onflows 
			  Thousand 
			   2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Employment and support allowance 280 580 600 
			 Of which:
			 Income-based only 140 290 300 
			 Contributory only 130 265 275 
			 Both 10 25 25 
			 
			 Work related activity group 250 520 540 
			 Of which:
			 Income-based only 125 260 270 
			 Contributory only 115 240 250 
			 Both 10 25 25 
			 
			 Support group 30 60 60 
			 Of which:
			 Income-based only 15 30 30 
			 Contributory only 15 25 30 
			 Both Negligible 5 5 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for 2008-09 relate to six months only; ESA will be introduced in October 2008. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest five thousand. Components may not sum to totals due to rounding. 3. Figures are consistent with benefit expenditure tables available on the DWP website through the following link: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp

Social Security Benefits: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department paid in  (a) housing benefit and  (b) council tax benefit to people in (i) working age households and (ii) working age households in receipt of out-of-work benefits in the London borough of Bexley in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: This information is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Cohabitation

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what change in his Department's expenditure on benefits resulted from treating cohabiting couples the same as married couples for the purpose of benefit calculation in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07.

James Plaskitt: Treating cohabiting couples in the same way as married couples for the purpose of benefit entitlement is a longstanding principle. There has therefore been no change in the Department's expenditure on benefits for cohabiting couples.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people receive  (a) the disability premium for income support,  (b) enhanced disability premium for income support,  (c) the severe disability premium for income support and  (d) both incapacity benefit and the enhanced disability premium for income support.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 2008
	The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of income support claimants by type of disability premium, Great Britain, November 2007 
			  Type of disability premium  Number of IS claimants 
			 Disability premium only 805,600 
			 Disability premium and enhanced disability premium 159,220 
			 Disability premium and severe disability premium 218,520 
			 Enhanced disability premium and also claiming Incapacity Benefit 144,300 
			  Notes:  1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  2. Income Support claimants may be entitled to more than one disability premium.  3. Overlaps between disability premiums have been removed.  4. Figures exclude residual Minimum Income Guarantee claimants.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were  (a) convicted and  (b) received a custodial sentence in respect of an offence of benefit fraud in (i) each of the last two years and (ii) each quarter of each of the last two years; and how many were dealt with by way of caution in the same period.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the following table. The information for 2007-08 is not yet complete.
	
		
			  Numbers of convictions, custodial sentences and cautions for benefit fraud in Great Britain 
			  2006-07  Convicted  Custodial  Cautions 
			 Q1 1,972 222 3,282 
			 Q2 1,790 146 3,221 
			 Q3 1,408 137 2,970 
			 Q4 1,708 108 2,503 
			 Total 6,878 613 11,976 
			  Source: 2006-07 figures are FIBS (Fraud Information by Sector) only.

Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of benefit overpayments due to  (a) fraud,  (b) official error and  (c) customer error, broken down by (i) Jobcentre Plus district, (ii) region, (iii) constituency and (iv) local authority area in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

State Retirement Pensions

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost which would arise from (a) increasing the state pension by (i) 10 per cent., (ii) 25 per cent., by 50 per cent. and (iv) 100 per cent. and (b) setting the state pension at the average level of other EU member states.

Mike O'Brien: The net additional cost of increasing the basic state pension by 10 per cent, 25 per cent, 50 per cent or 100 per cent. instead of the current baseline assumption of RPI or 2.5 per cent, whichever is the highest, in the year 2009-10 is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Uprating the basic state pension in 2009-10 by: per cent.  Net additional annual cost in 2009-10 ( billion, 2008-09 prices) 
			 10 2.7 
			 25 8.7 
			 50 18.8 
			 100 39.7 
			  Notes:  1. Estimates are presented in net terms reflecting that the estimated savings from reduced income related benefit payments (pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit) have been deducted. The proportions of additional expenditure saved through reduced income related benefit payments have been estimated using the Department's policy simulation model and are assumed to remain constant over time.  2. In the baseline costing for the financial year 2009/10 Treasury Economic assumptions consistent with Budget 2008 have been used to model basic State Pension uprating.  3.Estimates are in 2008-09 prices and have been rounded to the nearest 100 million.   Source:   DWP modelling 
		
	
	Data are not available to make a direct comparison of the UK state pension level with that of the average level of other EU member states. The level of state pensions in each country reflects differences in factors, such as Government policy choices and the cost of living, making cross-country comparisons difficult. However, Eurostat data indicate that taking into account all sources of income, UK pensioners have the fifth highest median net income in the EU.

State Retirement Pensions

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the change in the average state pension was in real terms in each year since 1979.

Mike O'Brien: Details of the real value of the basic state pension in each year from 1979 to 2006 can be found in The Abstract of Statistics for Benefits, National Insurance Contributions, and Indices of Prices and Earnings (2006), produced by the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The 2007 update of this publication is due for release later this summer.

State Retirement Pensions

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the average state pension would be today if the link between earnings and pension levels had been continuously maintained.

Mike O'Brien: Average weekly payments of the state pension were estimated at approximately 97 in 2007-08; this amount is comprised of both the basic state pension and additional state pension. Had the basic state pension remained linked to earnings since 1980, the average state pension is estimated to have been around 140 a week in 2007-08.
	During the next Parliament, we will re-link the uprating of the basic state pension to average earnings. Our objective, subject to affordability and the fiscal position, is to do this in 2012, but in any event by the end of the next Parliament at the latest. We will make a statement on the precise date at the beginning of the next Parliament.
	To 2008-09, the Government will be spending around 8.3 billion more on pensioners due to tax and benefit changes since 1997, than just restoring an earnings link from 1997 would have delivered. Pensioners are on average, 19 a week better off in 2008-09 as a result of Government measures since 1997, than if an earnings link had been applied to the basic state pension from 1997. The poorest third of pensioners are around 33 a week better off.
	 Notes:
	1. The amount estimated is for GB pensioners as at September 2007.
	2. The average earnings figures used to calculate the pension uprating in each year were taken from the New Earnings Survey prior to 1998 and from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings since 1998.
	3. The earnings-related element of the state pensionthe state second pension (S2P), is uprated by earnings in accrual. In 2005-06, around 26 million individuals were accruing some entitlement to S2P.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Civil Service: Conditions of Employment

John Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether his Department has made an assessment of the merits of introducing a results-only work environment within the Civil Service.

Tom Watson: Civil Service pay awards reflect an individual's outputs, results and performance rather than hours worked or presence at the workplace. Under the delegated arrangements for staff below the Senior Civil Service, Departments and agencies must have reward systems that include a close and effective link between pay and performance. For the Senior Civil Service, for whom pay is managed by the Cabinet Office, non-consolidated payments, which have to be earned each year, are used to incentivise staff to deliver business objectives successfully.

Departmental Postal Services

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Prime Minister's Office spent on sending mail overseas in each year since 2001, broken down by delivery company.

Phil Hope: The Prime Minister's Office forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office. Information on how much the Cabinet Office spent on sending mail overseas in each year since 2001, broken down by delivery company, is not fully available and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Records: Lost Property

Ben Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when on 11 June 2008 the Prime Minister was first informed of the loss of intelligence documents relating to Al Qaeda from the Cabinet Office.

Edward Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made in the House on 12 June 2008,  Official Report, column 487.

Departmental Sustainable Development

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when his Department plans to publish its sustainable operations policy statement.

Phil Hope: Our Environmental Policy contains our policy on sustainable operations:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about_the_cabinet_office/working_for/corporate_social_responsibility/environmental _policy.aspx
	Departmental progress is reported annually by the Sustainable Development Commission.

HEALTH

Abortion

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of providing an abortion on the NHS was in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: The average cost of providing an abortion on the national health service in 2006-07(1) was 650.
	 Source:
	1. Data from NHS Reference Costs. Data for 2007-08 are due to be published in December 2008.

Air Ambulance Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what personnel make up an air ambulance team; and which personnel are funded by the NHS;
	(2)  what percentage of air ambulances are staffed by personnel funded by the NHS.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on personnel that make up an air ambulance team is not collected centrally.
	The Government appreciate that air ambulances have a role in delivering emergency care, but are also aware that they are very expensive to operate and that past research failed to show that they were strong candidates to be funded wholly from finite national health service resources. In view of these factors, and to strike an appropriate balance, the NHS has, since 1 April 2002, normally met the cost of clinical staff on air ambulances. However, the exact make-up of such funded clinical staff will be a matter for the NHS and the air ambulance charities to agree locally.

Ambulance Services: Heart Diseases

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) stroke and  (b) heart attack patients died on a journey to hospital in an ambulance in each year since 1997; and how long each journey was in (i) miles and (ii) minutes.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	The ambulance response data that are collected centrally, and which include the number of emergency calls received by ambulance trusts across England and their performances against the targets set, are published annually. The latest statistical bulletin, 'Ambulance Services, England, 2006-07' was published in June 2007 and copies are available in the Library.

Arthritis: Medical Treatments

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what submissions he has received on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's recent guidance on the sequential prescribing of anti-TNF drugs to treat NHS patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Ann Keen: The Department has received no submissions on this guidance.

Departmental Electricity

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total quantity of electricity in kilowatts consumed by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies was in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: In the last five years the total quantity of electricity kilowatts consumed by the Department were:
	
		
			   kilowatts 
			 2002-03 13,779,000 
			 2003-04 13,914,000 
			 2004-05 14,219,000 
			 2005-06 13,469,000 
			 2006-07 12,340,000 
		
	
	The Department's agencies consumed:
	
		
			   kilowatts 
			 2002-03 593,896 
			 2003-04 578,984 
			 2004-05 580,332 
			 2005-06 640,780 
			 2006-07 2,371,986 
		
	
	The information in this answer covers the Department's central London administrative estate of Richmond House, Wellington House and Skipton House. The Department is a minor occupier in New Kings Beam House HM Revenue and Customs and Quarry House in Leeds Department for Work and Pensions and the data for these sites are not available to us. Reductions in 2005-06 and 2006-07 are due to the closure of two London buildings, Eileen House and Hannibal House.
	For the Department's agencies this answer provides data on two agencies, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency. MHRA do not have data relating to electricity consumption prior to 2007, hence the larger figure for 2006-07. The data supplied for NHS PASA relate to electricity consumed at their Reading, Chester and Sheffield sites.
	The overall reduction in the departmental administrative estate represents a reduction in CO2 emissions in line with our commitment to climate change objectives.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by Senior Civil Service staff in his Department and its agencies in the last 12-month period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not routinely analyse staff expenses by grade of staff as this is not a requirement of our statutory reporting. A considerable manual exercise would need to be undertaken to separate the expenses of each member of the Senior Civil Service from those of other staff in order to provide this information. Such an exercise would incur disproportionate costs.
	Similarly, information by grade on the expenses of staff employed in the Department's agencies is not routinely collected.
	Departments and agencies have authority to reimburse expenses incurred by their staff in connection with their employment, subject to the conditions set out in section 8 of the Civil Service Management Code which state that Departments and agencies must:
	reimburse staff only for expenses which they actually and necessarily incur in the course of official business;
	comply with the additional conditions and rules on travel, relocation expenses, compensation for loss or damage to property, and overseas expenses set out in sections 8.2 to 8.6 of the Code; and
	ensure that their rules provide for claiming recompense, including verification and authorisation.

Departmental Pay

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of employees in his Department who received a performance-related bonus at their last appraisal were  (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) from an ethnic minority,  (d) disabled and  (e) not heterosexual; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The figures requested are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Group  Number receiving bonuses  Proportion of bonuses to this group (percentage) 
			 Males 95 59.0 
			 Females 66 41.0 
			 Ethnic minorities(1) 6 4.3 
			 Disabled(2) 10 6.8 
			 All recipients of bonuses 161 100 
			 (1) Where ethnicity is recorded.  (2) Where disabled status is recorded.   Notes:  1. Ethnicity type is unknown in 21 cases where bonuses were awarded.  2. Disability status is unknown in 15 cases where bonuses were awarded. 
		
	
	Information on civil servants' sexual orientation is not currently collected or published.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to page 148 of his Department's Annual Report 2008, if he will provide a breakdown of the other allocations budget in figure 9.18 for each financial year.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Breakdown of other allocations budget in figure 9.18 of the departmental report for each financial year 
			   million 
			  Budget  2007-08  2008-09( 1) 
			 Health Improvement and Protection 232.516 312.022 
			 Communications 0.500  
			 Commissioning 58.387 98.695 
			 Provider Development 20.028  
			 Workforce 210.322 230.245 
			 Finance and Operations Directorate 93.254 66.982 
			 Commercial 90.000 12.533 
			 Chief Nursing Officer 38.355 37.951 
			 Social Care 71.481 72.963 
			 Policy and Strategy  7.166 
			 Equality and Human Rights 3.750 3.951 
			 NHS Finance Performance and Operations  70.116 
			 NHS Medical Director 30.895 91.892 
			 SHA Allocations 150.000 106.000 
			 Technical non-cash costs 205.400 -123.727 
			 Contingency 187.104 7.000 
			 Dentistry 58.543  
			 Total 1,450.535 993.790 
			 (1) Indicative.  Note: The table shows budgets for both financial years as, at the time of publication of the departmental report, the 2007-08 outturn figures were not known and the 2008-09 budget figures were still indicative.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to page 148 of his Department's Annual Report 2008 , if he will break down the 'other' budget in Figure 9.19 for each financial year.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested in shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Breakdown of other allocations budget in figure 9.19 of the departmental report for each financial year 
			   million 
			  Budget  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Health Improvement and Protection 210.175 234.798 
			 Healthcare Quality 11.110 4.955 
			 Research and Development 33.164  
			 Communications 12.500 13.352 
			 Workforce 133.636 142.872 
			 Commissioning  5.669 
			 Chief Nursing Officer 17.200 11.417 
			 Social Care 37.207 48.873 
			 NHS Medical Director 9.450 31.869 
			 Policy and Strategy  17.664 
			 Total 464.442 511.469 
			  Note: The table shows budgets for both financial years as, at the time of publication of the departmental report, the 2007-08 outturn figures were not known and the 2008-09 budget figures were still indicative.

Donors: Health Education

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many secondary schools have been sent information about the Give and Let Live donor education programme; and how many of them have participated in the programme.

Dawn Primarolo: In total 5,613 schools were sent information about the Give and Let Live pack. I regret that the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 10 June 2008,  Official Report, column 152W, on the number of schools which had requested a copy of the pack was incorrect. The pack was requested by 1,746 schools.

Female Genital Mutilation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) hospital admissions and  (b) deaths arising from female genital mutilation in each of the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: 'A Statistical Study to Estimate the Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in England and Wales', funded by this Department, was published by  Forward in October 2007. Copies of this publication have been placed in the Library.
	Data about the numbers of girls and women admitted to hospital or killed as a result of this crime are not available centrally.
	 Note
	Type III FGM is described as excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching/narrowing of the vaginal opening (infibulation). Type II FGM is described as excision of the clitoris with partial or total removal of the labia minora.

General Practitioners: Birmingham

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what local leadership there was for the development of the proposals to establish new GP practices in Birmingham; and what the duration of each primary care trust consultation with  (a) patients,  (b) carers,  (c) the public and  (d) key partners was on (i) the principle and (ii) the practice of the establishment of new practices.

Ben Bradshaw: The three primary care trusts (PCTs) covering Birmingham (Heart of Birmingham PCT, Birmingham East and North PCT and South Birmingham PCT) have developed proposals to establish new general practitioner (GP) led health centres and additional GP practices to improve access to primary care services. These proposals are currently the subject of three separate public consultations, the last of which concludes on 24 August 2008.

General Practitioners: Birmingham

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when primary care trusts in Birmingham were informed that they were to be allocated funding to establish new GP practices; and what assessment had been undertaken to assess  (a) the need for new practices and  (b) whether this was the best means of improving access to GP services.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department announced in December 2007 which primary care trusts would receive funding to establish new general practitioner (GP) practices. 100 new practices are being set up in the areas with the greatest need for additional GP practices. Primary care trusts in Birmingham are currently carrying out public consultation on where the six additional GP practices proposed for the city should be situated.

General Practitioners: Finance

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for future levels of spending in GP surgeries, with particular reference to services for hard to reach vulnerable patients.

Ben Bradshaw: We are committed to working with general practitioners (GPs) to reduce health inequalities and to improve access to services, particularly for hard to reach vulnerable patients. Our new contract introduced in 2004 saw record investment in primary medical carean extra 2.7 billion since 2002-03.
	Through NHS Employers, we have been consulting the British Medical Association on a package of investment of up to 100 million through existing GP practices to further improve care and services for patients. This will included targeted improvements especially for vulnerable patients such as those with severe learning difficulties.

Health Centres

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which private companies representatives of his Department have met to discuss plans for GP-led health centres in each primary care trust area in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: Meetings have taken place with a number of organisations on a range of issues but none has specifically focused on the procurements of new practices and health centres in primary care trust areas. However, it is for the local NHS who are leading on these procurements to engage the range of providers interested in tendering for the service.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for endocrinology services in hospital trusts in the North West in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Too few patients are waiting to be able to calculate a statistically meaningful median. Instead, the following tables provide information on the number of patients waiting, by time band.
	By the end of 2008, all patients on consultant-led pathways can expect to start any necessary treatment within 18 weeks, unless they choose not to, or it would be clinically appropriate to wait longer. This includes patients waiting for endocrinology services, where that forms part of a consultant-led pathway.
	
		
			  Patients waiting for elective in-patient admission and first consultant out-patient appointment: North West Strategic Health Authority areaposition at 30 September 2007 
			Weeks 
			   Total waiting list  Less than  1  1 to 2  2 to 3  3 to 4  4 to 5  5 to 6  6 to 7  7 to 8  8 to 9  9 to 10  10 to 11  11 to 12  12 to 13  13 to 14  14 to 15  15+ 
			  In-patients  
			 Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 28 6 5 5 2 2 3 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust 42 8 8 5 6 4 2 6 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust 84 32 7 8 4 1 4 6 3 7 4 1 3 2 0 2 0 
			   
			  Out-patients  
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 67 19 14 13 9 7 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Royal Liverpool Children's NHS Trust 17 2 6 4 1 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 The Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust 48 11 14 10 7 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 100 21 18 16 26 7 10 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust 12 4 1 3 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 55 11 6 10 4 4 5 4 3 4 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 
			 University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust 39 14 8 3 5 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust 5 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust 129 18 14 13 15 18 9 11 12 10 7 0 1 1 0 0 0 
			 University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust 7 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust 76 17 20 15 5 4 8 3 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 34 8 6 10 4 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust 28 10 3 3 8 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Lancashire Hospital NHS Trust 22 7 1 6 3 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Sources: In-patients: Department of Health form KH07 Out-patients: Department of Health form QM08ns 
		
	
	
		
			  December 2007: Diagnostic census for waits of over six weeks for endocrinology 
			   6+ weeks  13+ weeks 
			 Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust 4 0 
			 North Cumbria Acute NHS Trust 1 1 
			 Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust 2 1 
			 North Cheshire Hospital NHS Trust 1 0 
			  Note: Census only collects waits of over six weeks  Source: Diagnostic census

Injuries: Offensive Weapons

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated for  (a) gunshot and  (b) knife wounds at hospitals in each strategic health authority in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (i) age, (ii) sex and (iii) ethnicity.

Ben Bradshaw: Data are not held in the format requested. This is because of restrictions on the use of such data where the figures are very small. However, the following tables set out data, firstly by strategic health authority (SHA) and then, separately, by age and sex and ethnicity.
	
		
			  Count of finished admissions with a gunshot related injury by SHA for period 1997-98 to 2006-07, national health service hospitals England and activity performed in the independent sector in England commissioned by English NHS 
			   SHA  2006-07 
			 Q30 North East SHA 71 
			 Q31 North West SHA 278 
			 Q32 Yorkshire and Humber SHA 138 
			 Q33 East Midlands SHA 96 
			 Q34 West Midlands SHA 172 
			 Q35 East of England SHA 103 
			 Q36 London SHA 209 
			 Q37 South East Coast SHA 73 
			 Q38 South Central SHA 57 
			 Q39 South West SHA 79 
			  Unknown and Non England 39 
			  Total 1,315 
		
	
	
		
			   SHA  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  2001-02  2000-01  1999-2000  1998-99  1997-98 
			 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA 32 29 42 23 42 30 45 49 31 
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA 19 16 41 26 21 26 25 14 15 
			 Q03 Essex SHA 21 26 27 29 25 27 37 32 24 
			 Q04 North West London SHA 50 43 71 52 32 29 26 18 35 
			 Q05 North Central London SHA 31 25 38 29 51 29 23 14 22 
			 Q06 North East London SHA 64 48 69 74 59 47 41 26 24 
			 Q07 South East London SHA 75 52 55 55 56 45 38 42 43 
			 Q08 South West London SHA 34 21 23 21 21 13 23 13 18 
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA 22 31 35 30 47 52 49 51 41 
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley SHA 28 22 25 39 37 28 28 35 31 
			 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA 41 35 46 41 47 40 29 32 15 
			 Q12 West Yorkshire SHA 69 64 82 83 101 67 63 54 57 
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA 42 54 51 57 63 62 52 44 53 
			 Q14 Greater Manchester SHA 101 108 111 115 123 110 146 96 97 
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside SHA 108 98 116 85 97 69 74 72 58 
			 Q16 Thames Valley SHA 29 23 34 31 36 37 37 23 27 
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight SHA 27 24 34 19 32 27 32 23 26 
			 Q18 Kent and Medway SHA 26 33 32 30 47 28 14 20 24 
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex SHA 39 44 40 28 42 27 25 39 31 
			 Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA 40 39 40 43 48 31 39 27 34 
			 Q21 South West Peninsula SHA 22 27 36 26 24 29 31 24 25 
			 Q22 Dorset and Somerset SHA 28 14 14 11 29 14 13 23 15 
			 Q23 South Yorkshire SHA 50 55 40 62 61 48 42 38 24 
			 Q24 Trent SHA 52 46 74 83 69 46 66 63 54 
			 Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA 19 22 25 16 28 28 27 25 32 
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA 23 14 25 29 28 29 37 28 30 
			 Q27 Birmingham and the Black Country SHA 67 73 76 89 86 62 59 27 50 
			 Q28 West Midlands South SHA 38 44 37 28 21 24 26 22 18 
			  Unknown and Non-England 36 33 31 33 47 18 23 13 40 
			  Total 1,233 1,163 1,370 1,287 1,420 1,122 1,170 987 994 
		
	
	
		
			  Count of finished admissions with a knife related injury by SHA for period 1997-98 to 2006-07, national health service hospitals England and activity performed in the independent sector in England commissioned by English NHS 
			   SHA  2006-07 
			 Q30 North East SHA 362 
			 Q31 North West SHA 797 
			 Q32 Yorkshire and Humber SHA 608 
			 Q33 East Midlands SHA 444 
			 Q34 West Midlands SHA 500 
			 Q35 East of England SHA 494 
			 Q36 London SHA 731 
			 Q37 South East Coast SHA 411 
			 Q38 South Central SHA 367 
			 Q39 South West SHA 463 
			  Unknown and Non England 107 
			  Total 5,284 
		
	
	
		
			   SHA  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  2001-02  2000-01  1999-2000  1998-99  1997-98 
			 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA 175 198 199 202 175 205 179 173 169 
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic HA 145 154 150 154 124 122 108 87 94 
			 Q03 Essex SHA 225 222 210 216 208 209 202 170 175 
			 Q04 North West London SHA 239 201 224 222 211 225 228 164 153 
			 Q05 North Central London SHA 105 80 91 71 76 56 56 51 46 
			 Q06 North East London SHA 197 226 180 158 170 128 136 115 119 
			 Q07 South East London SHA 116 125 106 136 101 83 76 71 71 
			 Q08 South West London Strategic HA 139 106 148 160 119 107 69 97 34 
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA 237 232 251 215 196 183 171 148 155 
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley SHA 155 197 183 155 201 153 168 144 103 
			 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA 174 214 213 201 192 153 160 173 78 
			 Q12 West Yorkshire SHA 247 237 250 255 248 238 253 296 254 
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA 188 144 162 187 171 205 175 210 177 
			 Q14 Greater Manchester SHA 276 312 274 252 378 318 302 320 285 
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside SHA 326 279 245 226 211 183 169 186 164 
			 Q16 Thames Valley SHA 194 185 178 153 137 165 153 138 134 
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight SHA 144 103 74 106 92 125 143 113 86 
			 Q18 Kent and Medway SHA 174 115 126 146 123 165 144 68 105 
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex SHA 274 262 240 227 189 201 212 140 138 
			 Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA 248 216 211 195 180 193 233 192 177 
			 Q21 South West Peninsula SHA 153 112 117 140 132 129 110 122 112 
			 Q22 Dorset and Somerset SHA 104 82 93 99 79 103 91 110 84 
			 Q23 South Yorkshire SHA 117 99 136 146 126 120 128 43 47 
			 Q24 Trent SHA 236 214 235 225 218 225 206 201 166 
			 Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA 144 102 103 57 103 117 110 72 95 
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA 111 112 103 91 106 103 98 92 95 
			 Q27 Birmingham and the Black Country SHA 224 201 206 224 182 195 200 180 137 
			 Q28 West Midlands South SHA 119 103 124 105 124 118 104 87 94 
			  Unknown and Non-England 135 106 89 81 95 80 78 39 183 
			  Total 5,321 4,939 4,921 4,805 4,667 4,607 4,462 4002 3 730 
		
	
	
		
			  Count of finished admissions for gunshot wounds and knife related injuries by age and gender for period 1997-98 to 2006-07, NHS hospitals England and activity performed in the independent sector in England commissioned by English NHS 
			   Female  Male 
			   Under 18  18 and over  Unknown  Under 18  18 and over  Unknown 
			  2006-07   
			 Gunshot wound 53 104  273 884 1 
			 Knife wound 135 1,291  398 3,460  
			
			  2005-06   
			 Gunshot wound 38 82  234 878 1 
			 Knife wound 148 1,341  438 3,393 1 
			
			  2004-05   
			 Gunshot wound 40 103  267 752 1 
			 Knife wound 118 1,248  402 3,169 1 
			
			  2003-04   
			 Gunshot wound 53 91  337 887 2 
			 Knife wound 117 1,233 2 393 3,176  
			
			 2002-03   
			 Gunshot wound 55 71  361 799 1 
			 Knife wound 132 1,137  439 3,097  
			
			  2001-02   
			 Gunshot wound 78 111 1 390 838 1 
			 Knife wound 118 1,193  435 2,884 1 
			
			  2000-01   
			 Gunshot wound 46 75  380 618 2 
			 Knife wound 138 1,110 1 402 2,948 4 
			
			  1999-2000   
			 Gunshot wound 53 65  442 609 1 
			 Knife wound 123 1,044 2 417 2,871 2 
			
			  1998-99   
			 Gunshot wound 47 71  334 533 2 
			 Knife wound 130 877 1 385 2,607 2 
			
			  1997-98   
			 Gunshot wound 55 67 2 316 545 7 
			 Knife wound 94 853 14 348 2,372 46 
		
	
	
		
			   Not Known  Not Specified  Total 
			   Under 18  18 and over  Unknown  Under 18  18 and over  Unknown  
			  2006-07
			 Gunshot wound   1,315 
			 Knife wound   5,284 
			 
			  2005-06
			 Gunshot wound   1,233 
			 Knife wound   5,321 
			 
			  2004-05
			 Gunshot wound 1  1,163 
			 Knife wound   4,939 
			 
			  2003-04
			 Gunshot wound   1,370 
			 Knife wound   4,921 
			 
			 2002-03
			 Gunshot wound   1,287 
			 Knife wound   4,805 
			 
			  2001-02
			 Gunshot wound   11,420 
			 Knife wound   364,667 
			 
			  2000-01
			 Gunshot wound 1  1,122 
			 Knife wound 3 1 4,607 
			 
			  1999-2000
			 Gunshot wound   1,170 
			 Knife wound  1   2  4,462 
			 
			  1998-99
			 Gunshot wound   987 
			 Knife wound   4,002 
			 
			  1997-98
			 Gunshot wound 1 1 994 
			 Knife wound  3 3,730 
		
	
	
		
			  Count of finished admissions for gunshot wounds and knife related injuries by ethnicity for period 2002-03 to 2006-07, national heath service hospitals England and activity performed in the independent sector in England commissioned by English NHS 
			   White  Mixed  Asian or Asian British  Black or Black British  Other Ethnic Group  Not known  Not Stated  Total 
			  2006-07 
			 Gunshot wound 809 16 40 114 42 60 234 1,315 
			 Knife wound 3,574 71 239 112 132 253 903 5,284 
			  
			  2005-06 
			 Gunshot wound 705 12 28 118 29 79 262 1,233 
			 Knife wound 3,412 55 206 95 131 224 1,198 5,321 
			  
			  2004-05 
			 Gunshot wound 641 15 31 81 17 93 285 1,163 
			 Knife wound 3,142 38 175 104 102 255 1,123 4,939 
			  
			  2003-04 
			 Gunshot wound 698 15 46 98 29 103 381 1,370 
			 Knife wound 2,956 46 147 97 69 332 1,274 4,921 
			  
			  2002-03 
			 Gunshot wound 594 20 49 88 21 106 409 1,287 
			 Knife wound 2,754 35 181 88 80 282 1,385 4,805

London Airports

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times his Department hired VIP facilities at  (a) Heathrow,  (b) Gatwick,  (c) Luton and  (d) Stansted airports in each month since May 2006; and what the expenditure on VIP facilities at each was in each of those months.

Ben Bradshaw: We do not record the hire of VIP facilities. To collect the information requested would incur disproportionate costs.
	Details of the cost of overseas travel for Cabinet Ministers, including the cost of travel and accommodation are contained in the Overseas Travel by Cabinet Ministers list. The latest list for the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 was published on 25 July 2007 and is available at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers.aspx
	Details of the cost of overseas travel for all Ministers for the 2007-08 financial year will be published shortly.
	All ministerial travel is made in accordance with the Ministerial Code. Travel for staff and special advisers is made in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code. Copies of both publications are available in the Library.

Members: Correspondence

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Newcastle Central on the date of the publication of the report from the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation.

Ben Bradshaw: A reply was issued to the hon. Member on 23 May 2008.

Monitor: Operating Costs

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the running costs of Monitor are expected to be in the next 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: We have been advised by the chairman of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS foundation trusts) that Monitor's 'Business Plan 2008-09' states the total required budget of the organisation for the year 2008-09 is 16.175 million.

Monitor: Public Appointments

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the members of the board of Monitor are; and what the professional expertise of each is.

Ben Bradshaw: The board members of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS foundation trusts) are listed as follows along with their professional biographies:
	 Dr. William Moyes (Executive Chairman)
	Dr. Moyes was previously Director-General of the British Retail Consortium from 2000-03 and Head of the Infrastructure Investments Department at the Bank of Scotland. He joined the British Linen Bank (a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank of Scotland) in 1994. Before that, he held a variety of posts in the Scottish Office, including Director of Strategy and Performance Management in the Management Executive of the national health service in Scotland. He joined the civil service in 1974 in the then Department of the Environment and was a member of the Economic Secretariat in the Cabinet Office between 1980 and 1983;
	 Mr. Christopher Mellor (Deputy Chairman)
	Mr. Mellor is also Non-Executive Chairman of Water Services in Northern Ireland and is Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of Grontmij UK Ltd., the consulting engineers' firm. He retired as Chief Executive of Anglian Water Group plc in March 2003, after 13 years with the company. Previously he was a Non-Executive Director of Addenbrooke's NHS Trust between 1994 and 1998, where he was Chair of the Audit Committee. Chris Mellor was also a member of the Government's Advisory Committee on Business in the Environment;
	 Mr. Stephen Thornton (Non-Executive Director)
	Stephen Thornton is Chief Executive of The Health Foundation, which is an independent healthcare charitable foundation working to improve the quality of healthcare in the UK. He has held various senior executive NHS management and board positions over the last 15 years. He was Chief Executive of Cambridge and Huntingdon Health Authority from 1993 to 1997, and Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation from 1997 to 2001. He was a Commissioner on the Board of the Healthcare Commission from February 2004 until July 2006;
	 Baroness Elaine Murphy (Non-Executive Director)
	Baroness Elaine Murphy is a clinician by background and was Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at Guys and St. Thomas's Hospitals 1983 to 1996. At the time she also held an NHS general management position. Over the last 12 years she has held a wide range of executive/non-executive board positions covering a wide range of areas including the voluntary sector and the Mental Health Act Commission. She was Chair of the North East London Strategic Health Authority until 30 June 2006. She is also Chair of St. George's Medical School and sits in the House of Lords as a crossbencher; and
	 Ms Jude Goffe (Non-Executive Director)
	A venture capital and corporate advisor, Ms Goffe is also a trustee of the King's Fund. She has previously served as a Non-Executive Director of the Independent Television Commission and a Non-Executive Director of Moorfields Eye Hospital Trust from 1994-2004. Ms Goffe also chaired the trust's Audit and Commercial Services Committees and was a member of its Remuneration Committee. Between 1984 and 1991 she was employed by the 3i Group plc in a number of investment roles, culminating in the position of Investment Director. Ms Goffe is a chartered accountant by profession.

NHS: Finance

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much NHS funding was provided per capita in  (a) Suffolk and  (b) England in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: Information in the exact format requested is not collected in the audited accounts but can be derived from other information held centrally.
	The following table shows the revenue resource limits (RRLs) per capita for Suffolk and England, for the years 2002-03 to 2006-07, which are the latest years for which these data are available by individual health body.
	
		
			   per head 
			   Suffolk( 1)  England( 2) 
			 2002-03 (3)786.04 959.39 
			 2003-04 855.91 1,075.42 
			 2004-05 981.09 1,228.80 
			 2005-06 1,020.67 1,325.87 
			 2006-07 1,091.88 1,397.55 
			 (1) Figures for SuffolkRRL data for 2002-03 to 2006-07 relate to all PCTs in Suffolk and take account of any adjustments made to initial allocations, including both topslice and repayment of topslice. (2) England: RRL data for 2002-03 to 2006-07 relate to all health authorities and PCTs. (3) As 2002-03 population figures were not available we have used 2001-02 population data as a proxy.  Note: The figures represent expenditure by the particular commissioners within the areas specified. This does not include all health related expenditure as pharmaceutical services and most general dental services expenditure is not accounted for by commissioners.  Sources: Audited primary care trust (PCT) summarisation schedules 2002-03 to 2006-07 Unweighted population figures Department of Health Allocations Branch

NHS: Private Sector

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 29 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1977W, on the NHS: private sector, whether there is a  (a) legislative and  (b) other basis for the principle that an individual cannot simultaneously be a national health service and a privately-funded patient of the same national health service hospital within the same episode of care.

Ben Bradshaw: Section 1 of the National Health Service Act 2006 (which is essentially the same as section 1 of the original NHS Act of 1946) says that national health service services:
	...must be free of charge except in so far as the making and recovery of charges is expressly provided for by or under any enactment, whenever passed.
	This prevents NHS bodies from accepting payments for NHS services, unless this is provided for in legislation. It also prevents an NHS body from providing an incomplete package of care which patients then 'top up'.
	Patients can of course obtain additional treatment by becoming a private patient for a separate episode of care.

NHS: Private Sector

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 29 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1977W, on the NHS: private sector what definition he uses of an episode of care; when an episode of care  (a) begins and  (b) ends; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 29 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1977W, on the NHS: private sector, and with reference to paragraph 23 of the 1986 guidance entitled The Management of Private Practice in National Health Service hospitals in England and Wales, when private inpatients are permitted to change their status to NHS inpatients during the course of a single visit to an NHS hospital;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 29 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1977W, on the NHS: private sector, and with reference to paragraph 23 of the 1986 guidance entitled The Management of Private Practice in National Health Service Hospitals in England and Wales, whether private inpatients are only permitted to change their status during a course of a stay in hospital at the conclusion of an episode of care;
	(4)  pursuant to the answer of 29 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1977W, on the NHS: private sector, what the  (a) maximum,  (b) minimum and  (c) mean length of an episode of care delivered in the NHS was in the most recent year for which figures are available;
	(5)  pursuant to the answer of 29 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1977W, on the NHS: private sector, how many different types of episode of care exist; and for each whether other episodes of care are allowed to run concurrently with it;
	(6)  when his Department first collected information on episodes of care.

Ben Bradshaw: As outlined in the 1986 guidance, The Management of Private Practice in NHS Hospitals in England and Wales, the precise definition of an episode of care in this context is a judgment that must be made locally by clinicians and the local national health service, not by the Government, and so there is no reason to specify different types of episode of care. Clinicians may judge that treatments that run concurrently should be regarded as separate episodes.
	With reference to paragraph 23, there are no restrictions on when a private inpatient may choose to become an NHS patient. However, the guidance says that private patients who change their status should have their clinical priority for treatment assessed, and should not gain any advantage over other NHS patients. This was reiterated in the 2004 guidance A Code of Conduct for Private PracticeRecommended Standards of Practice for NHS Consultants, which said that:
	a patient cannot be both a private and a NHS patient for the treatment of one condition during a single visit to a NHS organisation; and
	should a patient be admitted to an NHS hospital as a private inpatient, but subsequently decide to change to NHS status before having received treatment, there should be an assessment to determine the patient's priority for NHS care.
	Copies of both documents are available in the Library.
	Information on the number or lengths of these episodes of care is not collected centrally.

NHS: Private Sector

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 29 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1977W, on the NHS: private sector, and with reference to paragraph 14.2 of the 1986 guidance entitled The Management of Private Practice in National Health Service Hospitals in England and Wales, what assessment he has made of the extent to which earlier private consultations lead to earlier NHS admission; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: No assessment has been made centrally.

NHS: Private Sector

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had NHS treatment withdrawn because they opted to pay for treatment outside the NHS in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not collected centrally.

NHS: Recycling

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many NHS trusts have recycling strategies; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he plans to review the health technical memorandum on managing waste; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department produced the sustainable development: environmental strategy for the NHS in 2005 which advocates that national health service bodies produce locally based strategies and plans of action for a number of environmental aspects, including waste. The Department did not set targets specific for recycling but rather adopted a more holistic waste management regime based on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair's (DEFRA's) 'Waste not want not' report and the waste strategy recommendations. This aims to prevent waste occurring in the first instance, advocating a waste hierarchy approach with reduction, reuse and recycling being addressed.
	The Department does not retain records of those trusts that have produced recycling strategies. In recognising the importance of recycling as part of the waste hierarchy, the Department collects information about waste produced and recycling undertaken by the NHS in England. The NHS reported that on average it recycled 14 per cent. of its waste in 2006-07.
	Health technical memorandum HTM 07-01 'Environment and Sustainability: Safe Management of healthcare waste' was published in 2006 and provides a framework for best practice waste management to help healthcare organisations and other producers to meet legislative requirements. The Department has made plans to review HTM 07-01 during 2008 and is consulting with key stakeholders in DEFRA and the Department for Transport, as well as the regulators, as part of this process.

NHS: Telephone Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls were taken by NHS Direct in each month in 2007; and what the average cost to the public purse was of each call in 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  2007  Total number of calls taken 
			 January 682,892 
			 February 602,188 
			 March 619,917 
			 April 635,812 
			 May 678,417 
			 June 669,796 
			 July 690,831 
			 August 662,927 
			 September 632,120 
			 October 687,531 
			 November 707,862 
			 December 724,483 
			 Total(1) 7,994,776 
			 (1) Figures are for all calls to NHS Direct which includes calls to 0845 46 47 and other calls to services provided to national and local commissioners. 
		
	
	The average cost per call in the financial year 2007-08 was 15.35.

NHS: Telephone Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls were made to NHS Direct in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2006; what the forecast number of calls for each of those years was before the start of each year; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Calls made to NHS Direct  Actual  Forecast 
			 2006-07(1) 8,296,972 9,500,000 
			 2007-08(2) 9,018,148 9,900,000 
			 (1) Figures are provided for the financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08. (2) Figures are for all calls to NHS Direct which includes calls to 0845 46 47 and other calls to services provided to national and local commissioners.

NICE

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent submissions he has received on the consideration given to cost by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in its appraisal process of potential drug treatments; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department regularly receives representations, from hon. Members and other interested parties, on different aspects of the work of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE is responsible for determining the approach taken to cost in its technology appraisal work.

Pharmacy: General Practitioners

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect on the  (a) viability and  (b) distribution of GP surgeries of preventing such surgeries dispensing medicines; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on patient choice of ceasing the practice of GP surgeries dispensing medicines;
	(3)  how many GP practices which dispense over-the-counter medicines are within one mile of a pharmacy.

Dawn Primarolo: There is no intention to abolish dispensing by general practitioners (GPs). The White Paper Pharmacy in England Building on strengths - delivering the future commits to carrying out a formal consultation that covers, among other things, the market entry controls that apply to pharmacy and dispensing doctor services. The consultation paper will be published later in the summerafter the publication of the primary and community care strategyand will look at options for the future. Copies of the White Paper are available in the Library.
	Information is not held centrally on how many of the number of GP practices which dispense medicines are within one mile of a pharmacy. However, the Department will carry out an analysis of the impact of any changes on the overall provision of primary medical services.

Polyclinics

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the General Medical Services budget for the next three years has been allocated to be spent on the implementation of the polyclinics recommended in Lord Darzi's review.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government are investing an additional 250 million to provide patients with better access to primary care services. This new investment will deliver new general practitioner (GP)-led health centres in each primary care trust (PCT) area and over one hundred new GP practices targeted at under-served area. The funding for GP-led health centres has been included in PCT revenue allocations: 45 million in 2008-09, 120 million in 2009-10 and 120 million in 2010-11. PCT allocations are deliberately not broken down into individual funding streams as it is for PCTs to decide how best to deliver these new services in view of their local circumstances.

Polyclinics

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's definition of a polyclinic is.

Ben Bradshaw: There is no standard definition of a polyclinic, which is why most of the debate about them is ill-informed and inaccurate. Polyclinic is usually a term used to describe a range of possible health service models characterised by the co-location and integration of different services, including those traditionally provided in a hospital setting.
	London Strategic Health Authority has defined polyclinic service models that bring together a range of primary care services, specialist services, urgent care services and social care into either single centres or federated networks of care. However, this model is not being replicated across the country. Local commissioners will determine the scope and scale of these services in collaboration with their clinicians and patients to reflect local needs and circumstances.

Polyclinics

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the polyclinic model of health service delivery does not have an adverse impact on the continuity of care for people with long-term conditions currently afforded by the doctor-patient relationship in primary care.

Ben Bradshaw: Patients with complex and/or multiple long-term conditions may wish to continue to see their registered general practitioner (GP). They may however, choose to register at a GP-led health centre and receive at least the same quality and continuity of care delivered by the GP and other primary care clinicians working in these facilities. Additionally, any member of the public may choose to visit a GP led health centre to see a GP or nurse and they can do this whilst still being registered with their own GP.

Polyclinics

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the decision to have a polyclinic in a primary care trust area is a decision to be made locally.

Ben Bradshaw: How primary care trusts (PCTs) choose to configure or commission local primary medical care services is a local matter. However, all PCTs have been asked to commission additional general practitioner (GP)-led health centre services and have been given additional funding to secure those services. Patients want and expect to receive convenient access to GP services wherever they are. Therefore, providing locally accessible and convenient GP-led services from 8 am to 8 pm, seven days per week will help to ensure this is possible. PCTs will decide after local consultation where and how these services should be provided and will carry out an open and fair procurement to secure the services they specify.

Polyclinics

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued to primary care trusts and doctors on developing proposals for polyclinics; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government do not have a polyclinic policy. We are asking the local national health service to develop new general practitioner (GP)-led health centres for local communities. This does not mean applying the specific proposals for a polyclinic model of care on which the NHS in London has recently been consulting.
	As part of our 250 million investment to improve access to primary medical care services, we have issued guidance to primary care trusts on how to complete open and fair local procurements to secure new GP practices and GP-led health centres. These are available on the Departments website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/Dearcolleagueletters/DH_082716
	and
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Procurementandproposals/Procurement/ProcurementatPCTs/DH_081031

Polyclinics

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether he has a  (a) timetable for the establishment of and  (b) target for the number of polyclinics in London; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what polyclinics  (a) have been established in and  (b) are planned for (i) Greater London and (ii) the south-east; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The organisation of health services is a matter for the national health service at local level. The hon. Member may wish to direct his question to the relevant primary care trust or strategic health authority.

Swimming: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department is contributing to the 140 million fund announced on 6 June 2008 to encourage local authorities to offer free swimming.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department is planning to contribute 20 million of revenue funding in 2009-10 and 2010-11a total of 40 million.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1786W, on children: day care, how many people with Early Years Professional Status will be required to meet the target of each full daycare setting being led by a graduate and those in the most disadvantaged areas being led by two graduates by 2015.

Beverley Hughes: We have a target of 20,000 to meet our aim to have an EYP in every full daycare setting with two per setting in disadvantaged areas by 2015.

Children: Day Care

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many places there are  (a) with childminders,  (b) in full daycare and  (c) in out of school day care in the London borough of Bexley.

Beverley Hughes: Since 2003 Ofsted has been responsible for the registration and inspection of child care providers. The following table shows the number of places for children under eight years of age registered with Ofsted at 31 March 2008 for Bexley local authority.
	
		
			  Number of registered childcare places for children under eight years of age in Bexley( 1) , position at 31 March 2008 
			   Number of places 
			 Childminders 2,100 
			 Full day care 1,400 
			 Out of school daycare 1,000 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 if under 100, and to the nearest 100 if over 100.  Source: Ofsted

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate his Department has made of the funding required to implement the guidance set out in Sure Start Children Centres: Phase Three Planning and Delivery, issued in November 2007.

Beverley Hughes: We notified local authorities of their children's centres funding for the next three years (2008-11) in August 2007. The Government allocated around 3.1 billion to 150 local authorities which we believe is sufficient to support their existing Sure Start Children's Centres and to set up new centres, to deliver at least 3,500 centres in total by 2010.
	The Phase 3 planning guidance contains hypothetical examples of levels of funding as a guideline based on centres serving different types of communities with around 800 children under five. It is for local authorities to determine how they allocate the grant locally to meet the needs in each community. Most Phase 3 centres, those opening between 2008 and 2010, will not incur full running costs for all of their services during this period.

Departmental Publications

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many guidance notes to  (a) nurseries,  (b) children's centres and  (c) local authorities have been issued by his Department, its predecessors and its agencies in each year since 1997.

Beverley Hughes: Local authorities, children's centres and nurseries have received a wide range of statutory and non-statutory guidance over the last 10 years. This is intended to help front-line staff understand and implement effectively their statutory duties and improve outcomes for children, young people and their families.
	Since 2007 we have been keeping information on guidance sent to local authorities. In 2007 we issued 74 guidance documents and so far in 2008 we have issued 27 documents across the whole range of local authority duties and responsibilities including supporting better outcomes for children in care and other vulnerable groups, providing positive activities and opportunities for young people, and supporting better pupil attainment and progression. Information data on the number sent before this date were not routinely collected and would only be possible to find out at disproportionate cost.
	Since 2003 we have issued the following guidance to Sure Start Children's Centres:
	
		
			  Guidance issued to Sure Start Children's Centres 
			   Number 
			 2003 1 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 2 
			 2006 2 
			 2007 2 
			 2008 1 
		
	
	The Department has not sent any guidance direct to nurseries.

Departmental Television

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families to what premium Sky, digital terrestrial or cable television channels  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies subscribes; and at what cost in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The Department purchases a broadcast news and parliamentary feed service through the Central Office of Information which includes all major news services provided by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky as well as parliamentary coverage. The cost of this service is 22,000 for the current financial year. Details of such services for departmental agencies are not held centrally.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what training courses were  (a) available to and  (b) taken up by civil servants in his Department in the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: My Department was formed on 28 June 2007. My Department offers a range of corporate skills development including formal off-the-job training, e-learning and access to a range of learning and coaching materials from our learning and development function. All these are linked to the Professional Skills for Government agenda and our business and improvement objectives.
	My Department has also placed great emphasis on good people management. Provision includes line manager coaching and supporting individuals while learning on the job. This is recognised as the most effective way to learn, apply, and develop skills and knowledge.
	Internal programmes are available as follows:
	Leadership;
	Policy Development Skillstailored to meet the needs of my Department;
	Strategic Thinking;
	Analysis and Use of Evidence;
	Programme and Project Management;
	Contract Management;
	Financial Management;
	People Management; and
	Drafting and Writing Skills.

Education: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many national tests a primary school pupil takes between the ages of five and 11; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: There are statutory national curriculum tests at two points in primary education, at the end of key stage 1, when most pupils are aged seven, and at the end of key stage 2, when most pupils are aged 11. Teachers informally administer national tasks and tests in reading, writing and mathematics during pupils' final year in key stage 1 to inform their final teacher assessment at the end of the key stage. National tasks and tests in key stage 1 are not externally marked. At the end of key stage 2, pupils take national curriculum tests in English, mathematics and science.

Education: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on progress in marking key stage tests in the 2007-08 academic year; and what plans he has to improve the performance of marking contractor ETS;
	(2)  when  (a) the National Assessment Agency,  (b) his Department and  (c) he was first informed of the recent performance in relation to marking of the national curriculum tests; what remedial steps were taken; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The administration and marking of national curriculum tests, as part of the process for maintaining standards, is a function of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) that is delivered independently of Government. The National Assessment Agency (NAA) manages the marking process with ETS Europe on the QCA's behalf. The QCA is fully accountable for the delivery of national tests and reports formally to the Department through Management Boards and the supply of regular management information. The QCA/NAA have kept the Department informed about the new test delivery arrangements and the improvements to marking quality throughout the preparation for test delivery.
	I take a close interest in national curriculum test delivery. My officials are in regular contact with the National Assessment Agency and keep me informed of progress. David Gee, Managing Director of the NAA, will write to the hon. member about the progress of the marking of the key stage tests and the action they are taking to support their new contractor, ETS Europe, in delivering this summer's tests. A copy of his letter has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from David Gee, dated 12 June 2008:
	I have been asked to write to you in response to your parliamentary question about the progress of the marking of key stage tests and any plans for improving the performance of ETS.
	This year because of the deployment of technology in to the marking process, it is the first time the NAA has had specific information on marking progress available. As at 11 June, 59.7 per cent. of papers have been marked with marks securely entered online.
	The NAA has been collating performance data and feedback from schools, markers and exam officers throughout the current test cycle. The NAA will ensure that ETS uses this information to make improvements for future cycles and we will use contractual penalties where there has been poor performance.

Education: Children in Care

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he plans to issue guidance to local authorities on allocating personal education allowances to improve outcomes of children in care in addition to that published at the end of May 2008.

Kevin Brennan: The statutory guidance to English local authorities published on 28 May set out how they
	'should provide personal education allowances for all of their looked after children who are at risk of not reaching the expected national standards of attainment'.
	It gives a range of examples of the types of activities which a personal education allowance might be used to support and that these should be linked to a child's personal education plan. Within this framework it is for local authorities to establish their local eligibility criteria based on the guidance. There are no plans to publish additional guidance on allocating personal education allowances for children in care.

Education: Young Offender Institutions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many hours of education on average were provided to looked-after children in young offenders institutions in each of the last three years; and if he will review their educational programme.

Beverley Hughes: Data are collected on the number of looked after children in YOIs but specific education data are not collected separately. There is a statutory duty on local authorities to promote the educational achievement of looked-after children, including those in custody. To comply with this duty, local authorities work in partnership with the YOI to ensure that individual learning needs are met and that care planning reviews continue during custody and facilitate access to education while the young person is detained. Youth Justice Board figures show that all juveniles in young offender institutions received the following average number of hours education, training and personal development activity per week:
	
		
			  Year  Number of looked- after children in YOIs  Average hours education per week for all young people 
			 2004-05 110 24.50 
			 2005-06 140 28.24 
			 2006-07 160 26.20 
		
	
	We will be making proposals to improve the education of all juvenile offenders in the forthcoming Youth Crime Action Plan in the summer.

Extracurricular Activities: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of children used after-school clubs in West Chelmsford constituency in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: Information is not centrally collected on the number and percentage of children who use after- school clubs, as part of the extended school programme, in West Chelmsford.

Farnley Park School Warley

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when his Department plans to decide on the application for Building Schools for the Future funding for the rebuilding of Farnley Park School in Warley, West Leeds; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Farnley Park School is in phase two of Leeds' Wave 1 Building Schools for the Future project. Overall funding for phases two and three was approved by the Department in February 2008. Leeds is currently investigating whether it is possible to provide a fully rebuilt schoolrather than the remodelled option put forward previouslywithout any additional funding from the Department. Once a decision has been made we expect the council to come back to us for final approval of its plans for Farnley Park in October 2008.

Female Genital Mutilation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department  (a) has taken and  (b) is planning to take, to educate education professionals on female genital mutilation.

Jim Knight: The Government aim to raise education professionals' awareness of female genital mutilation (FGM), particularly if they work within communities where this practice may once have been adopted. Education professionals may refer to the investigating agencies in the same way they would for any type of abuse. The Professional Standards for Teachers require that anyone who is teaching, or training to teach, must be aware of current legal requirements, national policies and guidance on the safeguarding and promotion of the well-being of children; also that they know how to identify and support children and young people whose progress, development or well-being is affected by changes or difficulties in their personal circumstances, and when to refer them to colleagues for specialist support.
	Local authorities may exercise their powers under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 if they believe that a child has suffered, or is likely to suffer, FGM.
	Working Together to Safeguard Children (April 2006), the main inter-agency guide to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, contains information about FGM. This guidance explains what is meant by FGM, makes clear that it is a criminal offence, and describes the signs that may indicate that a child is being prepared for FGM.
	Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education came into force in January 2007 and is aimed specifically at the education sector. It also contains guidance about FGM and signposts further sources of information available on the Department's Teachernet website.

First Aid: Education

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  which local authorities are engaged in partnerships with local ambulance services and local schools to provide first aid training for school pupils; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to support partnerships between local authorities and ambulance services to provide first aid training for school pupils; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  which schools in Essex provide first aid training for their pupils through a partnership between the local authority and Essex Ambulance Service; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: My Department does not collect information on the number of schools providing first aid training for pupils, whether in partnership with local ambulance services or not, nor on which local authorities have arrangements with local ambulance services for such training. It is for schools to determine if and how they teach children about the principles and practice of first aid, and my Department has provided guidance to schools on this. We welcome co-operation between schools and partners such as local ambulance services, but do not prescribe with whom schools should work to deliver education on specific issues; that is for schools to decide for themselves.

Foster Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many looked-after children were placed in foster care with  (a) relatives or friends,  (b) local authority-provided foster carers and  (c) agency-arranged foster carers in the most recent period for which figures are available; and how many of each such type of foster placement was with carers living (i) inside and (ii) outside the local authority area.

Kevin Brennan: Information on the numbers and percentages of children looked after placed in foster care with  (a) relatives or friends,  (b) local authority-provided foster carers and  (c) agency-arranged foster carers and (i) inside and (ii) outside the local authority area, is shown in the following table. The information is taken from table A3 of the Statistical First Release (SFR 27/2007) entitled 'Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2007'. The SFR is located at
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000741/index.shtml
	and table A3 can be found within the first set of Excel tables on the website.
	
		
			  Table A3: children looked after at 31 March by placement, 2003-07( 1,2,3) 
			   Numbers  Percentages 
			  Placement at 31 March  2003( 4)  2004( 5)  2005( 5)  2006( 5)  2007( 5)  2003( 4)  2004( 5)  2005( 5)  2006( 5)  2007( 5) 
			 All children looked after at 31 March(1,2) 61,200 61,200 61,000 60,300 60,000 100 100 100 100 100 
			
			  Foster placements 41,000 41,200 41,300 41,700 42,300 67 67 68 69 71 
			 Foster placement inside Council boundary:   
			 With relative or friend 5,800 5,800 5,600 5,300 5,100 9 9 9 9 8 
			 With other foster carer:   
			 provided by Council 21,900 21,000 20,400 20,000 20,200 36 34 33 33 34 
			 arranged through agency 1,100 1,400 1,600 2,000 2,400 2 2 3 3 4 
			
			 Foster placement outside Council boundary:   
			 With relative or friend 1,900 2,000 2,000 2,000 1,900 3 3 3 3 3 
			 With other foster carer:   
			 provided by Council 4,900 5,100 5,200 5,400 5,300 8 8 9 9 9 
			 arranged through agency 5,300 6,100 6,500 7,000 7,400 9 10 11 12 12 
			
			  Placed for adoption( 6) 3,800 3,600 3,400 3,000 2,500 6 6 6 5 4 
			 Placed for adoption with consent with current foster carer (under S19AA 2002) (8)3,800 (9)3,600 (9)360 (10)330 (10)130 (12)6 (12)6 (12)1 (13)1 0 
			 Placed for adoption with placement order with current foster carer (under S21AA 2002) (8) (9)   (10)150 0 
			 Placed for adoption with consent not with current foster care (under S19AA 2002) (8) (9) (9)3,100 (11)2,700 (11)640   (12)5 (14)4 1 
			 Placed for adoption with placement order not with current foster carer (under S21 AA 2002) (8) (9)   (11)1,600 3 
			
			  Placement with parents 6,300 5,900 5,800 5,400 5,100 10 10 9 9 9 
			
			  Other placement in the community 1,300 1,500 1,500 1,600 1,600 2 2 3 3 3 
			 Living independently 1,200 1,500 1,500 1,600 1,600 2 2 2 3 3 
			 Residential employment  10 100 0   
			
			  Secure units, children's homes and hostels 6,800 7,000 7,000 6,600 6,500 11 11 11 11 11 
			 Secure unit inside Council boundary 40 30 30 20 30 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Secure unit outside Council boundary(7) 210 210 220 170 170 0 0 0 0 0 
			
			 Homes and hostels subject to Children's Homes regulations:   
			 inside Council boundary 3,300 3,200 3,000 3,000 2,900 5 5 5 5 5 
			 outside Council boundary 2,700 2,600 2,600 2,300 2,300 4 4 4 4 4 
			
			 Homes and hostels not subject to Children's Homes regulations 530 910 1,100 1,100 1,100 1 1 2 2 2 
			
			  Other residential settings 600 560 560 570 610 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Residential care homes 220 200 210 230 230 0 0 0 0 0 
			 NHS Trust providing medical/nursing care 90 80 90 80 70 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Family centre or mother and baby unit 170 130 150 120 150 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Young offenders institution or prison 110 140 110 140 160 0 0 0 0 0 
			
			  Residential schools 1,300 1,200 1,100 1,100 1,100 2 2 2 2 2 
			
			  Missing -Absent for more than 24 hours from agreed placement 120 120 140 140 160 0 0 0 0 0 
			 In refuge (section 51 of Children Act, 1989) 0 0 00 0   
			 Whereabouts known (not in refuge) 40 40 20 20 30 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Whereabouts unknown 80 90 120 120 120 0 0 0 0 0 
			
			  Other placement 100 110 100 120 120 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (1) Source: SSDA903 return on children looked after. (2) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (3) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. (4) Figures are derived from the SSDA903 one third sample survey. (5) Figures are taken from the SSDA903 return which, since 2003-04 has covered all children looked after. (6) Since 2004-05 placed for adoption has been disaggregated by whether the placement is or is not with current foster carer. In 2006-07 placement also disaggregated according to whether consent was given or a placement order sought. (7) There are currently only 19 secure units operating in England therefore most placements will inevitably be outside the council boundary. (8-14) These figures are braced.

Morning Star

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many copies of the  Morning Star publication his Department and each of its agencies procures each week; and at what cost.

Kevin Brennan: This question can be answered only at disproportionate cost.
	Expenditure on newspapers as recorded on the Departments integrated financial information system comes under the general heading of Books and Newspapers. DCSF is therefore unable to identify centrally whether specific publications are or have been purchased or the individual costs involved.
	The Department does not have any executive agencies.

Pre-school Education

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1174W, on pre-school education, what assessment he has made of the reasons for two-thirds of children not reaching the literacy goals of the Foundation Stage.

Beverley Hughes: All children are different and each child's development pathway and rate of progress is individual to them. This principle is fundamental to the design of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), where we make it explicit that all early years settings should deliver personalised learning, development and care. We believe that every child deserves the best possible start in life, and that to deliver that we need to continue to work with teachers and practitioners in the early years to ensure that children have the best possible experience.
	To ensure that we narrow the achievement gap that currently exists between children from different backgrounds, we are investing in targeted programmes to support professionals in the early years and help them raise quality for children, supported by the framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). These programmes will focus on children's early language development and social development. In summer 2007 we allocated over 127 million for quality improvement to raise the number of staff in the private, voluntary and independent sectors who are qualified at level 3 as well as higher level qualifications, and to help them continue to develop their skills and knowledge in meeting the needs of young children.

Pre-School Education

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent estimate he has made of the overall cost of increasing the free entitlement to nursery places for 12,000 disadvantaged two-year-olds.

Beverley Hughes: Pilots of free early years provision for two-year-olds benefited 13,500 disadvantaged two-year-olds between 2006 and March this year at a cost of 18 million. Over 20,000 more two-year-olds will benefit over the next three years.

Pupils: Intimidation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many incidents of bullying were reported in schools in England in each of the last three years, broken down by region;
	(2)  which 20 schools in England had the highest number of incidents of bullying in each of the last three years.

Kevin Brennan: We are unable to provide figures for numbers of bullying incidents at school as we do not collect these data centrally.
	However, tables showing the number of permanent and fixed period exclusions in the regions by reason for exclusion have been placed in the Library. This includes a category relating to bullying.

Schools: Admissions

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary maintained schools use oversubscription criteria based on religious practice or adherence in their admissions arrangements, broken down by local authority.

Jim Knight: The latest figures published by the Department show that in January 2007 there were 6,255 maintained primary schools and 587 maintained secondary schools designated by the Secretary of State as having a religious character. These schools are permitted to use faith-based oversubscription criteria in order to give higher priority to children who are members of, or practise, their faith. The Department does not collect information on how many of these schools do or do not use faith-based oversubscription criteria.

Schools: Sports

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been allocated to sports facilities for schools in Wirral West constituency in the last five years, with particular reference to swimming pools; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: Capital allocations are made by the Department on a local authority rather than a constituency basis. They are allocated to sports facilities and swimming pools in accordance with priorities decided by the local authority in its asset management plan. Accordingly, no central records are maintained of allocations in respect of sports facilities or swimming pools. Total school capital allocations from the Department to Wirral and its schools over the past five years are set out in the following table.
	
		
			million 
			   Capital allocations 
			 2003-04 18.8 
			 2004-05 14.4 
			 2005-06 13.4 
			 2006-07 18.5 
			 2007-08 39.6 
		
	
	The increase in funding in 2007-08 is due to an allocation of 26.7 million for a school pathfinder project.

Swimming: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department is contributing to the 140 million fund announced on 6 June 2008 to encourage local authorities to offer free swimming.

Kevin Brennan: This Department is contributing 30 million of capital to the fund to encourage local authorities to provide free swimming, which was announced on 6 June. This capital funding will be available to improve swimming pools in schools which are available for community use. Working with the Local Government Association, the Department for Culture Media and Sport, Sport England and others we aim shortly to announce details of the allocation of this capital and the scheme more generally.

Vocational Guidance: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on careers guidance for young people in  (a) Leeds metropolitan district and  (b) Leeds West constituency in each year since 2001.

Beverley Hughes: In April 2001, responsibility for providing careers guidance passed from the Careers Service to the Connexions Service. Connexions provides services to 13 to 19-year-olds and to people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities up to the age of 24. Up until 1 April 2008, Connexions funding for Leeds was allocated to the Connexions West Yorkshire Partnership, which covered Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield LEAs. From 1 April 2008, Connexions funding is being allocated directly to each local authority. The following table shows the amount of central Government funding allocated to the Connexions Service and the Careers Service in Leeds and West Yorkshire since 2001. Information on the amount spent on careers guidance is not collected centrally. However, an independent study undertaken in 2006 concluded that, on average, around 42 per cent. of a Connexions Partnership's expenditure was on information, advice and guidance. The remainder was for targeted support for young people to address specific needs.
	
		
			   million 
			  Year  Connexions Service  Careers Service 
			 2001-02  (1)3.3 
			 2002-03 (2)12 (1)1.4 
			 2003-04 (2)21  
			 2004-05 (2)21  
			 2005-06 (2)21 -- 
			 2006-07 (2)21  
			 2007-08 (2)21  
			 2008-09 (3)7  
			  Notes: 1. Allocated to Leeds Careers Service Company. 2. Allocated to the Connexions West Yorkshire Partnership, covering Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield LEAs. 3. Allocated to Leeds city council (the figure represents Leeds's share of a total 21 million allocated to the five local authorities in West Yorkshire).

Westminster City Council

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what grants were made by his Department to Westminster City Council in each of the last three years; for how much in each case; what grants will be made in 2008-09; and for how much in each case.

Kevin Brennan: The grants made by the Department for Children, Schools and Families to Westminster city council in each of the last three years and for 2008-09 can be shown as follows:
	
		
			  Westminster council funding 
			  Schools and children services  Grant allocations () 
			  2005-06  
			  DCSF Recurrent Grants  
			 General Sure Start Grant(1) 3,321,130 
			 Teachers Pay Reform Grant 2,623,646 
			 School Standards Grant 2,286,104 
			 Excellence in Cites (EiC) and Excellence Clusters 1,428,494 
			 Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) 1,332,125 
			 Targeted Behaviour Improvement Programme (EiC) 1,133,600 
			 Leadership Incentive Grant 1,080,000 
			 School Development Grant (DFES grant only) 1,037,905 
			 Safeguarding Children Grant 862,742 
			 Specialist Schools: Recurrent 562,498 
			 London Challenge 548,293 
			 Choice Protects 529,887 
			 Music Services 373,500 
			 Adoption and Special Guardianship Grant 313,591 
			 Extended Schools 224,719 
			 Advanced Skills Teachers 224 060 
			 Targeted Support for Primary Strategy (100 per cent. grant) 177,975 
			 Key Stage 3 Strategy: Central Co-ordination 173,250 
			 Enterprise Learning 161,735 
			 LEA Support for Workforce Remodelling 138,766 
			 Targeted Support for Key Stage 3 132,219 
			 Vulnerable Children 112,995 
			 14-19 Pathfinders: 2004/05 Programme 112,000 
			 Teenage Pregnancy, PHSE and Sure Start Plus Grant 105,000 
			 Primary Strategy: Central Co-ordination 91,657 
			 Targeted Support for Primary Strategy 82,344 
			 Targeted School Meals Grant 82,198 
			 School Meals Grant 72,050 
			 KS3 Behaviour and Attendance: Central Co-ordination 68,300 
			 Targeted Improvement Grant 63,500 
			 Investigation and Referral Support Coordinators 53,000 
			 Change Fund 42,497 
			 Fast Track 34,800 
			 Education Health Partnerships 34,463 
			 Beacon Schools 34,000 
			 School Travel Advisers 21,000 
			 School Improvement Partners 10,850 
			 Gifted and Talented 9,308 
			 Education Health Partnerships: CPD PSHE Programme 2,250 
			 Key Stage 3 Pilot Projects 1,000 
			 Total Recurrent Grants 16,378,321 
			   
			  Children's Services Capital Grants  
			 General Sure Start Grant(1) 1,061,275 
			 Integrated Children's System 134,664 
			 Total Children's Services Capital Grants 1,195,939 
			   
			  2006-07  
			  DCSF Recurrent Grants  
			 Dedicated Schools Grant(2) 86,014,000 
			 School Development Grant 7,725,546 
			 General Sure Start Grant 4,751,317 
			 Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) 2,853,890 
			 School Standards Grant 2,419,058 
			 Children's Services Grant 1,130,599 
			 School Standards Grant (Personalisation) 627,987 
			 London Challenge 503,322 
			 Music Services 373,500 
			 Targeted Support for Primary Strategy 358,242 
			 Targeted Support for Secondary Strategy 296,091 
			 Extended Schools 231,486 
			 Secondary Strategy: Central Co-ordination 166,418 
			 Youth Opportunity Fund 157,158 
			 Positive Activities for Young People 135,000 
			 Targeted School Meals Grant 128,857 
			 Teenage Pregnancy 99,000 
			 Primary Strategy: Central Co-ordination 91,657 
			 Computers for Pupils: Recurrent 72,600 
			 School Meals Grant 70,602 
			 Sec Behaviour and Attendance: Central Co-ordination 68,300 
			 Information Sharing Index 65,016 
			 Education Health Partnerships 51,944 
			 School Intervention Grant 35,300 
			 Flexible 14 to 19 Partnerships Funding 32,453 
			 Choice Advisers 31,461 
			 Parenting Support Strategy Grant 25,333 
			 School Travel Advisers 21,000 
			 Study Support Quality Development Programme 20,000 
			 School Improvement Partners (SIPs) 17,100 
			 Music at Key Stage 2 7,638 
			 Total Recurrent Grants 108,581,875 
			   
			  Children's Services Capital Grants  
			 General Sure Start Grant 1,199,773 
			 Integrated Children's System 136,818 
			 Youth Capital Fund 135,929 
			 Total Children's Services Capital Grants 1,472,520 
			   
			  2007-08  
			  DCSF Recurrent Grants  
			 Dedicated Schools Grant 89,186,000 
			 School Development Grant 6,863,562 
			 General Sure Start Grant Revenue 4,660,494 
			 Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) 3,017,074 
			 School Standards Grant 2,768,952 
			 Connexions 2,238,826 
			 Children's Services Grant(3) 1,543,143 
			 School Development Grant (LA retained element) 1,125,300 
			 School Standards Grant (Personalisation) 1,085,546 
			 Positive Activities for Young People 546,111 
			 Children's Fund 394,830 
			 Targeted Support for Primary Strategy 371,967 
			 Music Services 363,500 
			 Making Good Progress Pilots 331,040 
			 London Challenge/City Challenge 307,600 
			 Targeted Support for Secondary Strategy 297,981 
			 Extended Schools 231,486 
			 Family Intervention Projects 205,000 
			 Youth Opportunity Fund 157,158 
			 ContactPoint 156,092 
			 Targeted School Meals Grant 125,694 
			 Parenting in Areas delivering the Respect Programme 125,000 
			 Secondary National Strategy: Central Co-ordination 123,878 
			 Targeted Improvement Grant 100,000 
			 Youth Taskforce 100,000 
			 Teenage Pregnancy 99,000 
			 Primary National Strategy: Central Co-ordination 89,283 
			 Devolved School Meals Grant 71,449 
			 Secondary Behaviour and Attendance: Central Co-ordination 68,300 
			 Education Health Partnerships 60,591 
			 Music at Key Stage 2 58,557 
			 Parenting Practitioner Grant 50,000 
			 Flexible 14 to 19 Partnerships Funding 46,907 
			 School Intervention Grant 35,300 
			 Computers for Pupils: Recurrent 32,300 
			 Choice Advisers 31,461 
			 Additional Parenting Practitioner Grant 30,000 
			 School Travel Advisers 21,000 
			 Care Matters 20,000 
			 School Improvement Partners 19,210 
			 Parenting Support Strategy Grant 14,667 
			 General Duty on Sustainable Travel To School 13,062 
			 Transition Information Sessions: Capacity 6,008 
			 Total Recurrent Grants 117,193,329 
			   
			  Children's Services Capital Grants  
			 General Sure Start Grant 2,435,902 
			 Integrated Children's System 181,000 
			 Youth Capital Fund 135,929 
			 ICT: Mobile Technology 84,611 
			 Total Children's Services Capital Grants 2,837,442 
			   
			  2008-09  
			  DCSF Recurrent Grants  
			 Dedicated Schools Grant 95,572,000 
			 School Development Grant 6,421,949 
			 Sure Start, Early Years and Child Care 5,905,015 
			 School Standards Grant 2,729,486 
			 Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant 2,548,845 
			 Primary Strategy: Targeted Support 570,666 
			 Music 423,200 
			 Secondary Strategy: Targeted Support 281,059 
			 Parenting Support Strategy Grant 220,000 
			 School Lunch Grant 202,137 
			 Extended SchoolsSustainability 197,093 
			 Youth Opportunity Fund 157,200 
			 ContactPoint 142,924 
			 Family Intervention Projects 133,000 
			 Diploma/Consortia Support Funding 120,000 
			 Challenge and Support Funding 100,000 
			 Parenting Practitioner Grant 50,000 
			 Short Breaks (AHDC) 40,000 
			 Information System for Parents and Providers 11,000 
			   
			  DCSF Funding allocated as part of the Area Based Grant  
			 Connexions 2,238,826 
			 School Development Grant (LA retained element) 1,125,300 
			 Positive Activities for Young people 546,111 
			 Children's Fund 394,830 
			 Extended SchoolsStart Up 284,519 
			 Care Matters 192,322 
			 Secondary National Strategy: Central Co-ordination 123,058 
			 Children's(3) Social Care Workforce 120,230 
			 Youth Taskforce 100,000 
			 Teenage Pregnancy 99,000 
			 Primary National Strategy: Central Co-ordination 80,953 
			 Secondary Behaviour and Attendance: Central Co-ordination 68,300 
			 Education Health Partnerships 60,591 
			 School Improvement Partners 57,400 
			 Child Death Review Processes 47,600 
			 School Intervention 35,300 
			 Choice Advisers 33,208 
			 Flexible 14 to 19 Partnerships Funding 28,462 
			 School Travel Advisers 21,000 
			 General Duty on Sustainable Travel To School 13,062 
			 Child Trust Fund Top Up Grant 4,439 
			 Extended Rights for Free Travel 2,962 
			   
			  Total Recurrent Grants 121,503,047 
			   
			  Children's Services Capital Grants  
			 General Sure Start Grant 1,199,773 
			 Youth Capital Fund 135,929 
			 ICT: Mobile Technology 84,611 
			 Information System for Parents and Providers Capital Grant 22,254 
			 Total Children's Services Capital Grants 1,442,567 
			 (1) General Sure Start Grant allocations cover the two year period 2004-06 (2) Prior to 2006-07 this funding was part of the Local Government Finance settlement managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government (3) From 2008-09 this funding was transferred to the Formula Grant, managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government

Young Offenders: Alternatives to Prison

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what alternatives to custody there are for persons under the age of 18 years who have been convicted of a criminal offence.

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what alternatives to custody are available for persons under the age of 18 years who have been convicted of a criminal offence.

Beverley Hughes: For young people aged under 18 there are three disposals available that provide direct alternatives to custody. These are the referral order which is the main disposal for young defendants pleading guilty and convicted for the first time, the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme which caters for serious and persistent young offenders and intensive fostering, both of which can be attached to community orders. Intensive fostering is being piloted by the Youth Justice Board in three areas and provides a highly intensive programme for serious and persistent young offenders whose home environment is contributing to their offending behaviour.
	The Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 introduces a new generic community sentence for young people, the Youth Rehabilitation Order (YRO). The YRO is designed to increase the options available to deal with young offenders in the community with effective and tailored interventions. Under the new order, intensive supervision and surveillance and intensive fostering are set out as specific alternatives to custody.